The Wind Beneath Her Wings
by Sandafairy
Summary: Dying wasn't what she had expected. The movies, books, hell, even the fanfics had it all wrong. It wasn't a sudden darkness or the body slipping into oblivion coupled with a weird floating feeling. Nope. Not at all. It was pain. And lots of it. Reincarnated-OC/?
1. Rebirth

**This story has been sitting on my mind for a while, and I've been crazy inspired by other writers on here. ****Also, the perspective might be a bit off in this first chapter but afterward it will be set in third person. **

**I hope you all enjoy! **

**I do not own Boku no Hero Academia.**

* * *

The Wind Beneath Her Wings

Chapter One:

Rebirth

* * *

Dying wasn't what she had expected. The movies, books, _hell_, even the _fanfics_ had it all wrong. It wasn't a sudden darkness or the body slipping into oblivion coupled with a weird floating feeling. Nope. Not at _all. _It was _**pain. **_And lots of it.

* * *

In another life her name had been Annabelle West. From what she could remember, which wasn't much because these memories were now fleeting, Annabelle's life had been relatively simple. Mundane, even.

She was born first to Carol and Edward West. Her mother was a soft-spoken preschool teacher, her father a methodical biomedical engineer. Following behind was Annabelle's two younger siblings, Anthony and Andrea. Yes, her parents were _those _people. The ones that were unoriginal and bland in regards to naming their children, instead opting for the lazy approach of keeping the same starting vowel for each. Talk about taking strides towards individuality.

They were the typical, poorly written sitcom-esque American family. Except, Annabelle wasn't the unfathomably breathtaking high school main character always getting caught up in hijinks and unnecessary, self-induced drama. Her father wasn't the absentee, out-of-touch workaholic obsessed with football. Or her mother the self-obsessed witch, placing her family's societal appearances above her children's well-being. Her siblings were certainly not saints, not by any means, but they weren't vindictive little shits either. All three of them were notorious for their bickering, which sometimes escalated into gigantic blowouts. But at the end of the day they were there for one another and loved each other a great deal. There simply was no sad backstory, unless you counted the time Annabelle's fish died when she was six. She had held a tasteful memorial in the bathroom. It was odd, but she could still smell the lilac scented candles her mother had lit as she recited a prayer for Guppi Goldberg; her father failingly morphed his face to one of stone as he desperately attempted to stave off laugher. Or maybe the tragic backstory was the time Annabelle had simultaneously ruined the sanctity of Christmas for not only herself, but for Anthony and Andrea too. She shuddered at the one thought she _wanted _to go away.

Anyways! You get the idea. Maybe it was disappointing to some but there wasn't any skeletons in the closet, unless you counted the ones downstairs because that's where the West family kept some of the Halloween decorations.

Thinking back on it now, Annabelle's ordinary existence left her feeling uncertain, as if that life had been somehow fictional. The West family sounded too good to be true, almost like a Gergich family regurgitation. Death by love-induced smothering...or something like that. If given the choice that would've been how she'd want to die. Instead how she actually died was...

She halted that train of thought, getting too far ahead of herself. Instead she opted to recall where this all began...

* * *

It had all started with an alarm left unset.

"Shit, shit, shit!" she cursed, crushing her fingers as she jammed a pair of sneakers on.

Quickly throwing on her backpack, Annabelle vaulted down the stairs, nearly falling down the last two steps and cracking her head open.

Stabilizing herself, she flung open the front door with the force of a mighty God, then quickly slammed it shut behind herself.

Feet pounded against the sidewalk like heavy rain. Quaint family homes flickered by as she ran past yet another block with a ridiculous sounding name. Fishing her phone out of her sweatshirt pocket, it's bright screen flashed to life. Bold numbers mockingly presented themselves: 7:25 AM. She was so totally _screwed. _Throwing her phone back into her pocket, Annabelle picked up her pace. She had five minutes until homeroom started and nine more blocks to go. As the seconds _tick tick ticked _away Annabelle began to feel a bubbling of self loathing form in the pit of her stomach.

She began to mentally berate herself, _How could I have been so stupid? I shouldn't have waited until last minute to do my homework. But then again, who the fuck assigns homework over the weekend? Satan? Oh no, that'd be Mrs —_

Annabelle was ripped from her reverie as a piercing _**pop! **_cut through the air, reverberating. As the echo escaped into the distance, she waited for the second round. It didn't come. Annabelle's mind began to work overtime, trying to pinpoint what that could've been. It almost sounded like a single, unrestrained firework. But who'd be setting off a single firework so early in the morning. Not to mention, _why? _

Realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. _That wasn't a gunshot, was it? _

The gradual thumping of her heart began to quicken, anxiety spiking as a wave of heat slithered down her spine. _Get ahold of yourself, Annabelle. Your sleep-deprived brain is just fucking with you. Besides, it was probably just someone's car backfiring or something. _

As soon as the thought left her brain, a football sized bird collapsed from the sky, harshly landing on the pavement in an undignified heap of feathers. Before she could even produce a thought on how far fetched this situation was, an onslaught of shrill squawking assaulted her eardrums. Caramel eyes flickered down to the creature now located in the middle of the road. A hard gasp escaped her lips as Annabelle's gaze fell onto the pitiful ball of bloodied feathers. Witnessing the distressed state of this bird helped connect the dots. There was no mistaking it, someone had shot this predator. But _why? _

Somewhere in the back of her mind a voice selfishly reminded her that she was going to be even more late to school if she continued to linger. But before she even had the chance to contemplate that ridiculous notion, Annabelle's heart won her over, forcing her legs forward. She just _had _to do something, right? School be damned, this was more pressing.

With a pace rivaling turtles mating, she took tentative steps towards the wounded predator. A strange tension turned her stomach uncomfortably. Dropping to her knees at a safe enough distance, because judging by those razor sharp talons this bird could seriously wreak havoc on her jugular, Annabelle assessed it's condition. A hellish vermillion streaked it's soft gray wings, the thick droplets beginning to pool around it. It had already lost a considerable amount of blood but it seemed savable.

There was a myriad of emotions bouncing around within her gaze. Anger being the most distinguishable. Running out of time and options, she unzipped her hoodie. Annabelle quietly thanked the gods above for deciding to wear a shirt underneath her hoodie instead of just the usual bra. Being caught in the middle of a street, especially one so close to school, half naked was not how she wanted to be seen.

The sudden movements sent the beast of a bird into a full-blown panic. It's whole body shuddered as it began to hyperventilate. Quickly shifting gears, Annabelle began to move with slow, deliberate movements. It's eye, a dark mousse color surrounding by a vibrant gold, stalked her every move. Even in its weakened state, she just _knew _the unrestrainable power this creature possessed. Even though she was tending to it, Annabelle was keenly aware of it's control over _her. _

With patient, soft hands she wrapped her hoodie around the bird, carefully bundling it up. With speed rivaling a pregnant sloth, she maneuvered the wings into a more comfortable position. The bird had begun to pant like a dog from her close proximity, causing trepidation to rise within her as their eyes locked. With bated breath she awaited it's reaction, praying it didn't decide to viciously lash out and tear open her hand. Moments passed, but the terrifying creature in her arms had finally begun to settle down. Staring down at the bundle of fabric in her hands, Annabelle couldn't help but become transfixed on the tragic beauty before her. She had no idea what type of bird this was but she couldn't help but foolishly pause to take in its every detail, from its sleek raincloud gray wings to its freckled form and sharp, regal beak.

Grabbing her phone from nearby, Annabelle began single-handedly punching in the nearest animal hospital. Annabelle ripped her mocha eyes away from the screen when the bird began uproariously piercing the air, it's cawing strangely akin to one of foreshadowed panic.

That's when _it_ happened.

Too fast yet painstaking slow at the same time. A prolonged horn blared as tires squealed against the pavement. Deep, dark marks began to mar the street as plumes of smoke radiated from the car. Annabelle's arms tightened around the bundle, body tensing as she prepared to jump out of the way. But as the car barreled towards her, she already knew it was too late. At the last second her body instinctively curled around the innocent creature, shielding it.

Before the vehicle made impact one last thought circulated her mind: _Fuck. _

* * *

Pain erupted in her skull, blossoming behind her eyes and pouring down the sides of her face like molten lava. She could hear the sickening crack of her skull making impact with the street as the metallic tang of blood began to taint the inside of her mouth. A burning sensation crawled down her neck, flitting across her neck like a hot sword had just severed her head.

Squinting through bleary eyes a muffled, distorted figure leaned over her. It's shrill words flooded out like a bursted dam, but they were garbled and incoherent to her cotton-stuffed ears.

Time began to slip away as the seconds melted into what felt like eons. Annabelle fought to keep her led-filled lids open, but quickly succumbed to the overwhelming urge to close them.

Like a quarterback protecting the ball, her arms remained encircled around the precious cargo. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Maybe both. Laugh because she'd become a modern day Humpty Dumpty. Cry because of the ludicracy of the situation.

Speckled spots of gleaming white began to dance behind her eyelids as a fresh wave of hot, searing pain crashed over her body. Annabelle gritted her teeth as the specks became a swirling vortex, her world now spinning as a blinding white took over.

Then the white shattered like a broken glass and she was thrown into darkness.

And just like that, the pain was over.

* * *

At first, she thought she was in a coma. Get hit by a car, go into a coma. Perfectly logical. Going into a coma because you decided to save a bird that literally appeared out of thin air? Not so logical, but nobody was perfect.

She strained her ears to pick up a sound, desperate to hear something..._anything. _Instead she remained encased in silence. In a blanket of warm darkness, unable to discern her surroundings. She tried not to let the tingle of fear evolve into something more. It wasn't long after that a crushing weight lay on her chest.

Some time later the crushing stopped and, with a thrill, she began to feel a distinct sensation. It was softness all around, something firm beneath, but the air had become comparatively chill and crisp. It was like a vacuum had sucked every ounce of oxygen out of her lungs because breathing was more difficult than she could ever remember and more precious than she could ever describe. The greedy lungfuls stolen from the air were both painful and glorious.

_At least I'm breathing! _She almost felt like crying. She was _alive. _

Long minutes later she managed to pry open her eyes and her elation died. Even with her vision blurred beyond usefulness, she could tell the scale of everything was off, giants looming all around. She realized the firmness below was not a bed, but a set of arms. She knew then she hadn't woken up. Her brain was merely becoming more creative in it's lies, playing what must have been the first moments of her life out of boredom.

Pain she could take, but this? No, this was too much. Panic rising in her tiny chest, she let loose a wail.

* * *

Smooth, rapid words floated through the air, fleshing themselves out into a language she couldn't comprehend.

Trying to formulate sentences, even basic words, proved to be futile. The only thing to come out her was shattering wails. Like a hot potato she was transferred from one set of arms to another. After someone had wiped away some of the gunk covering her eyes, some visibility was returned to her.

A soft disheartened gasp stilled the room as her eyes swiveled up to her current holder. The woman encasing her looked like shit. There was simply no nice way of putting it. Dark and heavy bags adorned her features. Inky black hair was haphazardly thrown up into a sloppy, crooked bun. The hairs framing her face mingled with the sweat that caked against her skin like a second layer.

Their eyes locked for the briefest of moments, and in them she saw something that chilled her: heartbreak in a sea of sadness.

The weary woman muttered something quick under her breath before deeply inhaling and clearly enunciating a name, "Asuka."

* * *

It had taken Annabelle, scratch that, _Asuka,_ three months to piece together what had happened. Well, not exactly. It had taken her about a day and a half to realize what had happened, but three months to acknowledge it. She was far from accepting any of this and had been living in a constant, cozy state of denial.

But she had been _reborn. _

What would the thousands of fanfiction writers and readers think of her if they could see her now? For years writers have been concocting stories of life after death in a faraway fictional world where the main character's very existence causes a ripple effect.

But she wasn't a character. She was a living, breathing _person_. She had no narcissistic quest for glory. No need to be the next Hokage. Not a single desire to end someone else's life with a notebook. Didn't even need to go on a journey to retrieve a mythical stone and reclaim her body.

And like everyone else she had practical dreams of tantalizingly tangible things such as graduating, marrying, maybe getting a job as she melded into the status quo on a normative pursuit of becoming a so called 'responsible adult.' But she was just a normal teenager. Or at least...she had been.

That was all gone now.

* * *

Laying in her crib as she gazed up to the ceiling, she couldn't halt her brain from the endless stream of intrusive thoughts. Thinking was all she could do in these terribly isolated, lonesome months.

She wondered how her family had reacted to the news of her death. Terribly, she was sure. But were they coping? Had the news been relayed to Anthony and Andrea by the unhelpful school counselor? Had they been removed from school shortly after? Were her parents putting on a brave face for them but holding each other as they cried themselves to sleep? Were they–

_Enough_, she mentally chided. _I can't think about this anymore. _

A tiny insignificant voice in the faintest crevice of her brain wondered if the bird survived.

* * *

She really hated her new name. She prayed it didn't mean anything dumb.

* * *

After about four and a half months of living this strange new life a startling realization struck her as odd.

She'll spare you the boring details of being a baby because nobody wants to hear about that. But something she couldn't quite skim over was the lack of treatment she received from the woman whom she guessed was her new mother. Not that she actually wanted to accepted that. _Carol West _was her real mother, okay?

In her mind she dubbed the woman Fake Mom.

Annabelle, _Asuka, _tried not to be a burden on this woman and only cried when needed, but the lack of care was definitely peculiar and disheartening. This pseudo-mom would let her cry longer than necessary, never quick to come to her aid. Fake Mom also allowed her to sit in her own filth for longer than necessary and wasn't as attentive with feedings as a new mother should be.

Annabelle's earliest memories involved her real mother tending to her infantile siblings. Carol West would rise before her babies had the chance to crack open their eyes, prepared their bottles before they wailed, held them, carried them, read and sang to them, but most importantly, she _loved _them. Unconditionally.

Fake Mom liked her, she supposed. She kept her alive.

But during their breastfeeding sessions she'd hum a disjointed, melancholic tune.

* * *

Did she have a Fake Father in this life or was Fake Mom a single mother?

A significant amount of time had passed since her arrival to this foreign place and the only life form she'd encountered was the woman that birthed her.

If her faux mother was hypothetically a single parent, how was she able to afford taking months off of work to take care of a baby?

As she began to ponder the infinite possibilities of the lacking father figure, she yearned for her past father's presence.

* * *

She wondered if Anthony and Andrea were bickering as much as they used to.

* * *

She decided from this point forward to spend her time wisely and begin composing a mental list of where should could be. Judging by Fake Mom's dialect, she had deduced it to an Asian country. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

If she was lucky her life wouldn't turn out to be a fictional rehashing befitting a story for others pleasure. Maybe a higher being was looking out for her and had her rebirthed on the other side of the world so one day she could reconnect with her real family.

That pesky voice in the back of her head told her that the chances of that happening were slim to none. But it was more probable than being reborn into an anime, right?

* * *

Witnessing her new appearance had shocked her to the core. The moment had been fleeting as her fake mother held her in her arms, walking past the mirror with haste. But it was enough time to immortalize the image in her brain like stone.

Like any newborn her age she was incredibly fragile and small with full, pinchable cheeks. Perfectly matching her new mother's, her head was peach fuzz colored in a glossy midnight. However, her breath stilled the moment she saw her own eyes. Unlike her faux mother's bark brown, her eyes were a round, delicate robin's-egg blue.

She couldn't help but wonder why her features in this life were so distinguishable and distinctly...American?

Was it because her past life had been spent as an American and it somehow translated into this one?

She racked her brain for a possible explanation. Perhaps it was some sick and twisted form of symbolism bestowed upon her by a cruel entity? Perhaps it even eluded to some foreshadowing...

She mentally snorted at the ludicrous thought. _Yeah, right... _

She couldn't help but feel like this was scripted.

Looking back on her previously ended life, she couldn't help but mourn the loss of her appearance. Annabelle had been fortunate enough to be born with plain features, which allowed her to be a wallflower of sorts. But here it was different. _Everything _was different.

And she hated it.

* * *

At six months old she was able to produce her first word, "Mama."

It had taken her three painstakingly long weeks to get it just right because she wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect. Besides, getting her infantile mouth to properly formulate the words in an entirely new language proved to be the hardest part. Begrudgingly, she had to admit all the time and effort she put into that singular phrase was purely for self gain and attention. However, she also hoped it would please Fake Mom, maybe she'd indulge her with a smile and congratulate her.

When her caretaker had come in for the routine changing, she couldn't contain her excitement. Like a child with a juicy secret she blurted it out.

The air became stagnant as a pregnant pause turned suffocating. She instantly regretting opening her mouth as soon as Fake Mom deflated like a pricked balloon. Her neck bent to the side as her gaze focused away from Asuka, not-so-subtly hiding her face so that she couldn't see the salty water threatening to leak from her chocolate eyes. Asuka's gut clenched at her reaction.

The victory wasn't sweet.

* * *

A month later her brain connected the dots, recognizing the constant rattling from the other room to be a pill bottle.

* * *

Two months after that, at a whopping nine months old, she began to walk. Bumbling like Bambi at first she was quick to fall. Fake Mom watched with tired eyes, keeping a safe distance a few feet away. Asuka looked at her for guidance but came up short.

Nevertheless she persisted, determined to get this right. Even if it meant doing it all by herself. Her caregiver had decided to relocate them to the living room because of the wide open terrain. This was the first time in this life she was experiencing an area outside of her room and she was going to take full advantage of it.

Instinctively her arms shot out to the nearby couch, seeking to gain stability as her wobbly legs threatening to give out beneath her. Her faux mother's keen eyes followed her every move like a hawk. After a few more stumbles with no further incidents her confidence began to soar. Exhilarated, and becoming cocky in her newfound abilities, she began testing the boundaries as she branched out further around the room.

She didn't even notice the end table with the violet glass vase until it was too late.

_Crash! _

Piercing screams infiltrated the air as a shard of glass tore into the side of her arm. Quick as a flash her mother was on her, gently teasing the glass out.

With an air of refined ease, the woman held a smooth hand over her wound. A subtle _hum_ tinkled like bells in a breeze as a soft white glow began to illuminate from the palm of her hand. Firmly grasping her forearm, the applied area was bathed in a radiant yet soothing warmth. After a few beats the woman released her arm, leaving behind unblemished skin.

Her screams were louder than ever before.

* * *

If possible she would've fainted. She wasn't ashamed to admit it. People didn't just _glow_ and magically heal you!

She rotated her arm like a cheap hot-dog rotisserie found at the checkout counter of a crack-shack 7-11. There wasn't a single sign of a cut. Not even the faintest line of a scar.

Nothing. Zilch. _Nada_.

_What kind of freaky shit is that!_

* * *

She was in an _anime_. And her mother had freaky healing powers. There was no other way of putting it.

Helplessly, she wanted to scream. Her thoughts alone were filled with infinite strings of curses. Every word imaginable coursed through her head. It was probably enough to make sailors blush.

But overall...she blamed that stupid bird for all of this.


	2. Wings

**I feel like this chapter and the next one are a bit short, but after those the story will start to really pick up traction and the word count will definitely go up! **

**Asuka's Quirk will be explained in time, and I'll be releasing a hint with my Author's Note at the bottom :) **

**Thank you all for supporting me and this story! **

**I do not own BNHA.**

* * *

The Wind Beneath Her Wings

Chapter Two:

Wings

* * *

Everything went to shit the day she turned four.

Before her fourth birthday everything had been relatively normal. _Well..._as normal as Asuka's abnormal mother would allow.

In that time that passed she had learned to adapt. Coming to terms with her situation had been somewhat of a breeze, but accepting the loss of her family and past life was something she still struggled with. There were days when she'd feel as if she were walking blindly through a deep fog, while others were overflowing with serenity. It was an ever shifting balance but she persevered nonetheless, willing herself to continue because deep down she knew her family wouldn't want her to wilt away. Besides, she owed it to her parents to just _keep going. _If not for herself, then for them.

_Adapt. Overcome. Improvise. _

The past four years had granted Asuka with an abundance of knowledge, the most vital being the Unspoken Rules.

Unspoken Rule Number One was glaringly obvious yet twice as hard to avoid: Superheroes.

Dislike was not a word Asuka would apply to her mother, because she was sure the woman _loathed _supers. The unfounded animosity was borderline obsessive. For example, the other day her mother's droning cooking channel had been playing on the television. An urgent news alert slashed through the mundanity as a polished male news anchor prepared to recount an unfolding bank robbery. Before the news anchor had the chance to introduce himself along with the flashy and personable heroes on screen, her mother lurched forward, diving like an Olympic swimmer for the remote perched on top of the coffee table. Quickly clicking the television off, she threw the remote to the side of the couch and stalked away, muttering some unsavory things under her breath as she did so.

When eighty percent of the population had superpowers, or Quirks as they're called here, it was impossible not to be constantly surrounded by them. Despite the constant buzz of power that accompanies a world dominated by supers, Asuka's mother sheltered her from everything superhero related. That meant no news stations, newspapers, cereal boxes, posters, toys and more. It was soul crushing. Being dropped off in a world dominated by superheroes was unimaginable, but not possessing a single item of hero memorabilia was downright criminal.

Asuka wondered if her mother was this way because of some dark and depressing backstory.

She snorted derisively, _As if._

Which brought her to Unspoken Rule Number Two: Hisoka Kamiya's Quirk.

Her mother, Hisoka, was best described as water. She was fluid and ever changing, constantly ebbing and flowing between boiling hot and ice cold. Her Quirk on the other hand was constant and solid, strictly dependable. Hisoka's healing Quirk was one in a billion, making it a true rarity. Despite her animosity towards heroes, Hisoka actively used her abilities to aid humanity by saving lives as an emergency room nurse.

Asuka had once attempted to breach the suffocating subject because she had a million and one questions. But the only response Hisoka had given her was a set of steely chestnut eyes and a dry, emotionless tone, "My abilities are a gift to others but a curse to me."

* * *

The day had started out as any other but from the moment she had lurched out of bed like a beached whale Asuka knew something was _off. _The air surrounding her was a static humidity; dense and clinging yet positively crackling with energy. She tried to brush off the overbearing all-overish feeling infecting every fiber of her being, but her eyes couldn't help but linger on the calendar pinned to the nearby wall.

_JANUARY 6. _

Her birthday.

Annabelle's death day.

This day brought on an onslaught of weighted emotions. Asuka became divided as her past was pushed to the forefront of her mind. Memories from previous birthdays, ones before she was Asuka, slid past her in flashes: a pastel pink buttercream cake, a smattering of vibrant balloons and striped coned hats, flashing lights and smiling faces set aglow in candlelight as they waited in anticipation for her to blow out the candles.

Her face grew hot as tears formed in her eyes. Blinking them back she focused her attention elsewhere, such as the hefty medical book currently in her lap. She had smuggled it off the bookshelf in the living room. It wasn't her first choice of reading materials, preferring fiction and poetry, but it was either that or picture books intended for a four year old.

_Four years...I would've been 21. I probably would've been woken up by mom and given breakfast in bed by dad. Anthony and Andrea probably would've forgotten about my birthday and made a card at the last second. I would've went out with friends to have my first legal drink, not that I hadn't drank before then, but—_

She halted those thoughts before they were able to get away from her, reining them in with the remainders of Annabelle. Instead, she focused on her current self and thought about the years that had passed as Asuka. These past four years had been a blur. A big boring blur. Her mother was the definition of a hermit, rarely leaving the apartment, which meant she only occasionally took Asuka outside. Sheltered was the understatement of the century. But the years had also been filled with Hisoka begrudgingly teaching her the bare minimum in areas such as: the language, reading, spelling, counting and math, as well as proper etiquette and manners. It was a blessing Asuka was a voracious reader because without books she would've easily lost her mind. Everything was just so dreadfully _boring. _

Flipping past a page detailing the circulatory system, a strange foreboding sensation dusted over her. The youngster's hand stilled as the hairs on the back of her neck rose.

_What the hell? _

An itch began to trickle down Asuka' neck, rolling onto her back before finally embedding itself like a tick. Reaching behind herself, Asuka scratched the affected spot but the uncomfortable feeling remained. Seconds ticked by as the itching sensation steadily intensified. The harder she scratched the more irritable the area became. Slowly, in a way she couldn't possibly explain, something began to rapidly form beneath her hand. Asuka dared not reach under her shirt where it felt like something was _sticking out of her back. _

The air's static stilled.

_Am I...developing a Quirk right now? _

Asuka's brain whirled as it exhausted every possible outcome but it all lead to one direction.

_No way. No fucking way! This is so not happening right now! _

She wasn't meant to develop a Quirk. She was meant to be an irrelevant speck of dust floating by in this crazy world. From the moment Asuka figured out that the world she was living in was _My Hero Academia_, she'd quickly buttered up to the idea of living out the rest of her days as an irrelevant background character; a nameless face in the crowd. The picture she painted of herself was akin to Midoriya _before _he swallowed the hair. Asuka was more than content with having no powers, working a job she hated, having five cats and—

_Oh God, _she panicked, _is this Quirk some nasty hunchback of Notre Dame thing?_ _What if it's disgusting, like a giant pimple ready to blast at a moment's notice?_

She'd rather die again.

Asuka couldn't help but blame some higher being for this. These tribulations were incomprehensible and _so _unfair. Ridiculously unfair. Like many times before, Asuka prayed she could somehow switch spots with someone else.

"Mom!" she screamed, her voice taking on a panicked tone. A lump had begun to lodge in her agonizingly dry throat.

With fumbling feet she ran down the hall, bursting into her mother's room. Normally Asuka wasn't allowed in her mother's room, but considering the circumstances she felt it was more than necessary.

Hisoka jumped from the bed in surprise, features looking rather dazed as if she'd just woken up from a long nap. "What's wrong?"

Asuka wailed, "I don't know! There's something wrong with my back!"

Her mother's eyes widened as they landed on the lump beneath her shirt. Wordlessly, with an ease only an emergency room nurse could possess, she calmly collected a pair of hair cutting scissors from a nearby nightstand. Hisoka cut Asuka's shirt in a meticulous, muted manner. She felt the fabric glide beneath the shears like butter, falling to the floor as a _fwoosh_ released behind her. Metaphorically her body began to breathe better, realistically she felt impending doom, causing her to almost choke on the air.

Her mother's hands stilled before retracted violently. A guttural noise sounded from the back of Hisoka's throat as the air around them began closing in on Asuka.

Something was wrong. _Very _wrong.

Running over to her mother's full length mirror she stared at her reflection.

Asuka gasped, her heart plummeting.

Behind her were huge, feathered wings. They were long, pointed and streamlined with a color that put storm clouds to shame. The wings were nearly as tall as her body, arcing off her back like a concave reflection. Each long, narrow feather tensed and shook as all reasons to panic came flooding in, as if her body chemistry sent them a blanket invitation. These weren't typical soft, fringed plumes befitting an angel. These were positively predatory, extremely aerodynamic and built for speed.

Realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

_These are the same as that bird from four years ago. Does that mean—_

"Get out."

_What? _

Whipping around, Asuka stared at her mother. Hisoka's chestnut hues were everywhere but on her, refusing to look at her or the newly attached wings. With shaking shoulders her mother yelled once more, "Asuka, I said leave, _now!_"

_Was she serious? _

The answer was as plain as day on her mother's face. Like a dog with its tail between its legs, Asuka retreated with a head hung low to avert her gaze. Once she'd fully passed Hisoka, Asuka sprinted down the hallway, throwing herself into her room. Slamming the door behind herself, Asuka collapsed in an undignified heap of limbs.

Hot, ugly tears poured out of her eyes like a ferocious geyser. Her heart thudded in her chest thunderously but the blood pounding in her ears was louder. It wasn't long before her vision became disfigured, as if Asuka was looking through a fisheye lens. Clutching her sides, she let loose an earth shattering wail, something within her breaking.

She couldn't do this anymore.

Uncontrollably, her hands reached behind her and began grabbing fistfuls of feathers and ripping with all her might. Despite the jolts of pain Asuka kept tearing until the floor was littered with the gray abominations.

Asuka felt like a _freak. _She was the Bruce Banner in the lab with a million eyes on him. A complete and utter monstrosity. A hideous creature like Grendel. Something that should be locked away like a Basilisk. A _thing _that defied nature and logic and shouldn't have the ability to fly, like the Jabberwocky.

As the inability to breathe intensified Asuka thought to herself, what would her family think if they could see her now?

They'd probably think she was a freak too.

* * *

There was no way of knowing how much time had passed, but when Asuka opened her eyes ashen feathers encircled her. It took a few seconds for Asuka's brain to reboot and piece together the damage she had caused to herself amidst the breakdown. Reaching behind herself, Asuka awaited the wince that would soon mar her face. Except it never came because her hands didn't meet any bald spots like she had anticipated. With brows knitted in confusion Asuka patted down the area once more but came back with the same result.

_What the hell?_

Picking herself up, she dazedly left the room. As quiet as a mouse she crept down the hallway, peeking around corners before passing.

As she stood before her mother's door she gently knocked. Twice. Silence was her only response. Pushing the door open at a pace rivaling turtles mating, she peered in.

Hisoka was absent.

_She must've gone out. _

Tiptoeing over to the mirror, she gasped at her appearance once more.

Everything _was _in place. _Everything._ As if the past few hours had never happened. Her mind grasped at straws, trying to rationalize any semblance of understanding. Experimentally, Asuka reached behind and plucked a single feather.

Then she waited.

And waited.

And _waited._

Asuka wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she couldn't help but feel as if there was something more to this and if there was, she was going to get to the bottom of it.

That _something _turned out to be a slow, deliberate soft white glow that began to emanate and elongate into the shape of a feather. The process had been mesmerizing and quick, ending with the glow dying down like the sun setting behind the horizon. In its place was an exact replica of the feather still in her hand.

She blinked. Hard.

_My Quirk is...growing feathers?_

* * *

**This chapter is a bit shorter than I'd like it to be, along with the next chapter. But as of right now, Chapter Four's word count is over 13,000. **

**Thank you so much to all of you for reading! Thanks especially to everyone that favorited, followed and reviewed so far. I'm absolutely over the moon with the responses and genuine feedback I've received so far. This is my first time investing so much into an OC, and want to take time to properly form her. Right now she's heartbroken and kind of angsty, but I'm looking forward to smoothing her out and really developing her. **

**Now, I'd like to take a quick moment to respond to some readers! **

SilverLight70: **Thank you for reviewing! I can't quite disclose her Quirk _just _yet because it would spoil the fun. BUT your hypothesis is a good one. Also, Asuka referred to Hisoka as her "fake mom" because in her mind her mother was still Carol West. But as time goes on and Asuka comes to terms with her situation/new life (first hinted at the start of this chapter) she begins referring to her as her actual mother. **

sonic (Guest): **Thank you so much!**

AmbertheCat: **I hope this continues to interest you! :) **

**That's all for now, I hope you've all enjoyed!**

**Signing off, **

**-Sandafairy**


	3. An Anonymous Gift

The Wind Beneath Her Wings

Chapter Three:

An Anonymous Gift

* * *

Against her will the world forced her to become more known.

Sakura trees delicately lined the sidewalk, giving off a warm incense of cream and pollen. Like small fragments of tinted light flickering in the breeze, the champagne pink clouds stuck in clusters around their respective branches with warm, soft streaks of golden rays peeking through the dense petals. A discarded sakura blossom crunched beneath her shoe as Asuka's clammy hand wrapped around her mother's dry one, squeezing twice to silently indicate her discomfort. Without even looking up Asuka knew her mother's face would already be carrying her usual mask, perfectly sculpted to display how unaffected and positively poised she was. The only thing that gave way to what Hisoka was feeling was the ghost-like squeeze she sent back. It did little to calm her nerves.

Asuka would be lying to herself if she said she hadn't thought about the importance of today. But like always she had pushed it towards the back of her mind, filing it away as unimportant by adopting a blasé attitude towards it. Her plan was simply flawless: deal with the problem later. A "cross that bridge when we get to it" sort of thing. Except that bridge was right in front of her, _right _now, in the form of a building intended for other small children her age.

Her toes curled within the confines of her shiny white flats. She unclasped her moist hand, rubbing it on the side of the rosy pink dress her mother had specifically chosen to compliment her wings. Gazing up towards the building she inwardly groaned, wanting to be anywhere else but here. Preferably her bed.

As the winged child yearned for familiarity her deep-set blue eyes took in the surrounding families that had begun to gather. Pocketfuls of children filled the common area, dressed in complementary clothes parents hand selected. The children came in an assortment of sizes, shapes and colors. But from what Asuka could see none of them looked like her. A flash of heat trickled down her back at the thought of being the only child present with a Quirk.

Before she could dwell on those thoughts, a boyish voice cut through the air. Her eyes swiveled around before landing on the boy to her left. The morning sun beamed down on him, illuminating his verdant hair and mossy eyes alit with excitement. He spoke a mile a minute, his words tumbling out of his mouth so rapidly that Asuka's ears could barely keep up. His stance was comfortable as one hand held his mother's, the other held tight around the waist of an All Might figure. The hand holding All Might zipped through the air with purpose as the boy's lips pursed to make _whoosh_ sound effects. A tiny smile appeared on his mother's face as she nodded along enthusiastically, her son regaling her in a tale of the hero's latest feat.

"For the last time, I don't want to be here. I want to go home! _Now!_"

Asuka's head whipped to the right, taking in the sight of a sandy-haired boy. His expression was miffed as he yanked his hands out of his parents' grips, crossing them tightly over his tiny chest. After stomping his foot, he hunched his shoulders like an animal set to attack. The man nearest to him, with gentle features and presumably his father, put his hands out in a placating manner as he tried to tame his tantruming child. The woman next to him was beginning to lose her patience, growing frustrated with her son's outbursts.

Asuka breathed in sharply before expelling it in a single breath. Today was the first day of kindergarten.

_Well,_ she thought with a grimace, _this should be fun._

* * *

It wasn't long before they were ushered into a classroom. Some students had screamed and cried at the aspect of leaving their parents, while others had muttered a quick goodbye before running off. A few had begun to mingle, introducing themselves to each other with hopes of becoming friends.

A refined young woman stood near a large mahogany desk, waving them in. She was dressed sensibly, epitomizing the role of a kindergarten teacher with her light blue blouse and white skirt that reached below her knees. "Good morning class, my name is Sato-sensei."

The students filed in, finding the desks with their names written in bold letters. She waited patiently until everyone was seated before smiling wide, "I look forward to a year full of growth." Her honeycomb eyes were endearing as they took in each student. "But before we begin, by a show of hands, how many of you have begun developing a Quirk?"

Three hands raised, herself reluctantly included. The entire class turned, eyes wide as they flickered between her and the other two boys with their hands raised. Asuka wanted to roll her eyes. It wasn't like her Quirk was inconspicuous, it was literally the first thing you noticed when looking at her. If the other two boys hadn't raised their hands Asuka would've never known they'd begun developing Quirks. It made her green with envy.

For months Asuka had been dismayed over the sudden appearance of these unwieldy wings. The storm cloud appendages were broad, expanding well past the fingertips of her outstretched arms. She had a creeping suspicion that they would continue to grow with her to accommodate her size, which made her want to rip them off because they were _such _a pain in the ass. They were an awkward and unwelcome addition. And even though it had been months since they'd decided to pop out of her back, Asuka was still having trouble getting used to them. The additional weight felt clunky, and made her constantly knock into things. Like the village drunk, she'd succeeded in breaking more than enough things, especially her mother's prized porcelain lamp. She never heard the end of that one. Asuka hated these damn wings.

Sato-sensei nodded, mentally filing that information away as she grabbed paper cut-outs off her desk. The noirette muttered her thanks as Saito-sensei dropped one on her desk. The paper formed the shape of a cartoonish star, complete with lines to write on.

She rolled her eyes. _Fun._

"Okay class, on your papers I'd like for you write your name on top and a goal you'd like to achieve this year," She reached for the finished one on her desk, showing it to the class, "For example, my name is Saito-sensei and this year I'd like to learn how to knit."

The corners of Asuka's lips quirked up. _This lady is so weird._

As her teacher began to further discuss things she hoped to achieve, the smile on Asuka's face slowly began to wash away. Her eyebrows scrunched up at the dumb star, mind drawing a blank on what to write.

_What do I even want to achieve?_

She snorted, _Maybe living past seventeen._

All around her pencils had begun to move, scratching at paper with certainty. Once again Asuka found herself envying her classmates. Despite how childish or unachievable their dreams may be, at least they had them.

But it was dangerous for her to have any long term goals. Because what was the point in having a dream if you were probably just going to wind up dead again?

* * *

Despite the children leaving hours ago the young kindergarten teacher was still cleaning up. During their craft time one of her students — Bakugou Katsuki — had taken his bottle of glue and squeezed the daylights out of it into another student's hair, then assaulted him with a barrage of glitter. It had taken her over an _hour _to get most of it out. She had no idea what prompted this behavior but suspected he was still in that temper tantrum phase.

She sighed deeply, trying to wipe up any remnants of glitter. She knew it was a wasted effort because glitter was the herpes of crafts and always managed to linger. Honeycomb eyes did a final sweep of the floor, nonetheless pleased with the work she'd done. Before getting to her feet her attention snapped to a crumpled up ball of paper. With peaked interest she reached out for it, unfurling the paper to see the familiar outline of a star.

Along the top in messy scrawl was _Asuka Kamiya._

But that was it. Saito flipped the paper over, taking in every inch of the paper. Nothing. She frowned.

This was the first time she'd ever had a child not have a future dream.

* * *

It was unnerving how quickly the world tilted on its axis.

One day she was dreading the fate of kindergarten, and the next she was left reeling at the fact that five years had passed. Although, if Asuka was being honest not much had happened in those five years.

Her life had fallen into a monotonous routine that was more soul-sucking than a Dementor.

Every morning without fail she arose before the sun had the chance to grace the sky with its presence. No matter what she tried — because she had tried _everything _— her internal clock refused to indulge her with a few extra hours of sleep. Asuka would forever curse that horrid saying of early birds capturing worms.

Most days her mother was notoriously absent, having agreed to work extra shifts at the hospital, although Asuka had a creeping suspicion that her mother's sparseness was related to her. And as always their relationship's permanent default was strained, but it continued to worsen over the years. Asuka would pretend she didn't see her mother's cold stares when she thought she wasn't looking or the mutterings related to those _damnable wings _under her breath_._

After a contemplative morning she'd embark on her journey to school, only stopping for two things: the occasional convenience store purchase — she was a sucker for anything sweet — or to feed the birds.

Admittedly the latter activity was strange and garnered the oddest looks from people passing by, most likely because they thought she was flat-out crazy but it had fallen into her routine completely by mistake. It had started with only a bird or two, ravenously devouring the crusts of her sandwich. They must've told their fellow feathered friends because before she knew it the group had tripled in size. She had quickly learned that if she dared to refuse them food they'd follow her in droves, squawking and pestering her until she gave in. A part of her wondered if it was because they had become acquainted with her presence, imprinting on her like baby ducks or if it had to do with their common ancestry. Despite the raised brows and looks of utter puzzlement, she had found solace in feeding them, going as far as buying them seeds she kept in her backpack.

It was no secret that in her past life she'd been enamored by animals. She'd even toyed with the idea of one day becoming a veterinarian. But the love she held for every living creature had been something that carried over into this life. Little did she know it wasn't the only thing that carried over.

After seeing her feathery friends she'd make her way towards school and like clockwork the noirette was always the first one there, sometimes even before her teacher. During the first few weeks of school he'd raised his brows at her early appearance — no doubt finding it extremely odd that a student was _willingly _there before they had to be — but quickly became accustomed to it. And as always, she'd take her seat towards the back, open up a book and spend the rest of the day with her nose in it.

As lame as it sounded, her classroom had a social dynamic straight out of a cheap 80s movie: studious nerds too eager to answer questions, boys treating gym as if it were the Olympics, girls that used their beauty against each other. Oh, she almost forgot to add that _one_ silent student the class had only heard speak once. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know which category she fell into.

Once her classmates had begun developing their own Quirks their interest in her had dissipated, their eyes now focusing on themselves and others with stronger abilities. But Asuka was perfectly okay with that, hating to be in the spotlight.

When they were finally dismissed Asuka would pack up her things and walk home, passing by the smattering of classmates excitedly making plans. Sometimes her heart would clench with longing as she watched them wistfully, an embarrassingly small part of her wishing for a companion. But she'd squash the feeling down, knowing better.

Just like the walk to school, her walk home was just as dry. The only stop she'd make was to the same convenience store to buy the same thing she had every night for dinner, cupped ramen. The owner — an older man named Ryushi — knew her purchases by heart, always ringing her up before she even got to the register. Ryushi always made sure to give her a discount, his wrinkled skin always pulling tight around his eyes as he squinted down at her pitiful dinner. Despite her best efforts to ignore it the sight was forever seared into her brain. But she'd squash that down too, ignoring it like she ignored her mother, pay him and leave. The winged child would then return to an empty apartment, make her cupped noodles while she did her homework, curse at the tedious equations before getting annoyed and vowing to do it in the morning. And then she'd go to bed.

Lather, rinse and repeat. Day in and day out. Three hundred and sixty-five days a year.

* * *

"What's the matter Deku, did your mom forget to pack your lunch?" a voice dripping in sarcasm asked.

A symphony of snickers followed.

A rotund boy with wings as devilish as his personality followed, "Yeah _Deku, _why's your bento box empty?"

Oceanic blue eyes peered up from a notebook, zeroing in on the hellish trio of bullies.

Crumbs glazed two of the boys' mouths while the one in the middle, the blonde ringleader, stood with arms crossed over his chest, his face smug.

Mossy green eyes began to well with tears. Slowly the boy in question produced a wobbly smile, "I'm not sure...but that's okay, I wasn't that hungry anyways."

Her verdant haired classmate tucked the empty bento box away in his desk before he pushed back in his chair and got up. He kept his head low to avoid their peers, who were eager to drink up his shame. Despite his efforts to conceal his emotions her gaze still picked up on the ears tinged pink in embarrassment.

As soon as he left laughter erupted, booming and bouncing off the classroom's walls. Asuka ground her teeth at the insufferable noise penetrating her ears.

_How can these kids be so mean? How does this possibly benefit them in any way? Does it make them feel superior? How would they feel if_—

**_Snap._**

Halting her thoughts as she looked down, Asuka saw the remains of what used to be her pencil.

Bitterly, she thought, _Great. Just great._

Opening her desk, cyan eyes searched the contents within until they landed on her flowery pencil case. Her hand wavered, eyes flickering over to the distracting bento box she had packed earlier that morning. _Asuka...don't even think about it._

Asuka's heart clenched as an image of the unkempt haired boy from moments ago flashed to the forefront of her mind. She bit her lip, unable to stop the overwhelming amount of sympathy her heart poured out.

Sympathy for the untouchable existence of a boy she was painfully aware of.

* * *

_A blip of memory hurtled behind her eyes._

_Feet pounded against the floor as a nameless boy ran up to her. He wildly waved a dvd case labeled My Hero Academia in front of her face._

_"Annabelle! You have to watch this with me! It's crazy, it's about—"_

* * *

Izuku Midoriya. Protagonist of their world and future heir to All Might and his power, One For All.

For years Asuka had molded into the background, avoiding detection as she witnessed his suffering from afar. Students always singled him out, making it known that he was the Quirkless among the Quirks. They'd mercilessly bully him, pulverizing his dreams in an attempt to break his unwavering spirit. Teachers were aware of the mistreatment but turned a blind eye because they also deemed Midoriya's ambitions unachievable.

But Midoriya was best described as a rubber ball—extremely resilient and ready to bounce back. Like water off a duck's back he'd let the comments roll right off him, something Asuka deeply admired about him. But she knew that smile he flashed was faker than a barbie doll and the underlying hurt in his eyes was enough to make her blood boil.

Despite this, Asuka had made sure she kept a respectable distance from him, not wanting to be pulled into his orbit. It would be unfair to both parties. While her brain told her it was the logical thing to do, her heart stubbornly disagreed, wanting nothing more than for her to reach out and tell him that he was worth more than he or anyone else thought imaginable. An even smaller part of her wished she could befriend him and reassure him that he was destined for greatness, but she knew that was all a pipe dream. Asuka knew her place. It was in the background where she tiptoed around main characters and avoided befriending anyone at all costs.

Avoiding important characters like the plague was more difficult than Asuka had originally thought it would be. For starters, Midoriya lived across the street. _Literally_. He lived in the second apartment complex while Asuka lived in the third. This also meant Bakugou lived dangerously closeby. The isolation she subjected herself to came in handy, allowing her to sneakily avoid both of these boys. However, Fate was a cruel mistress and _of course _had thrown her into the same school as both Midoriya and Bakugou. She'd grown up in the same class as them since they were all four years old, and every day her heart instructed her to reach out to Midoriya. On more than one occasion Asuka had wished she could be his friend. Despite his protagonist status Midoriya was painfully alone in this world, at least for now. He wouldn't receive his first real friend until he began attending U.A. High School. Asuka knew he was terribly lonely. And truthfully, so was she.

A warm wave of sympathy poured over her as she pictured a ten year old Midoriya burying his face into his knees and crying on top of a toilet in the bathroom. Asuka sighed, knowing what had to be done. _It's just lunch, what could possibly go wrong?_

Grabbing an extra pencil and the bento box with a flourish, she quickly tore a tiny piece of notebook paper and quickly scribbled a note. Peering up from the note she scanned the room. By now most of the class had cleared out to enjoy their lunch outside or go to the nearby vending machine for a quick drink.

_Good._

Tucking the note halfway into the bento box, Asuka made her way over to Midoriya's desk. She moved languidly, hoping she wasn't drawing any unwanted attention to herself, but having gigantic wings attached to her back made the task a thousand times harder. After one more quick glance over she placed the box down.

_See? _She rationalized, _No harm done. Besides, this isn't a declaration of friendship, it's merely an anonymous gift._

Turning on her heel to leave, she began moving until an unknown force yanked her back. Snaked around her wrist was a hand belonging to—

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Looking up, their eyes met: agitated molten lava clashed with placid tides.

"I—" Asuka swallowed, prickly heat sweeping down her back at being caught, "I could ask you the same thing."

The explosive looking blonde with unkempt hair darting in every direction was unmistakable. Katsuki Bakugou.

Asuka jerkily tore herself free from his grasp, eyes narrowing murderously. Although compared to him her glare must've been akin to a kitten.

Unhappy with that response, his crimson pupils narrowed down at her. "I won't ask again."

She held her tongue as a million and one biting retorts came to the forefront of her mind. _Don't say anything stupid, don't say anything stupid, don't_—

"I'm doing what's right. Something you're obviously not familiar with."

_Damn it..._

Asuka's breath caught in her throat, not believing her ears. She hadn't intended for her inner vehemence to slip out. _Mouth, you're such a traitor!_

His lips twisted down into a fierce scowl as the tightening fist at his side began to smolder. With a heaving chest, tense shoulders and clenched fists, his anger practically rolled off of him in waves. His entire being radiated raw, untapped power. It sent the hairs on the back of her neck bristling.

Time slowed as his hand fast forwarded, lunging as it grabbed a fistful of her uniform. Her feet stumbled, body lurching forward as her hip smashing against the desk. He dragged her up until they were face to face, barely inches apart. Despite the severity of the situation Asuka's brain couldn't help but short circuit, leaving her to wonder how he was so strong for a ten year old. _And damn, am I really this short?_

Her muscles tensed beneath his scorching gaze.

"Listen here, you overgrown _chicken._ Deku isn't your concern and the last I checked he already had a mother. So why don't you piss off?"

Asuka's cheeks flushed in anger, wings ruffling in disdain. Deep within an innately overpowering, almost _maternal _feeling began to rise from the pit of her stomach. Slowly it began to bubble and topple over like a science experiment gone wrong. She threw caution to the wind as the image of Midoriya was once again pushed to the forefront of her mind, his entire being becoming her priority despite her current entanglement. Fear would _not _get in her way.

Roughly, she pushed against his shoulders and released herself from his grasp. As she stood before him, her wings subconsciously unfolded, arching out and around her in a protective manner. Bakugou's gaze followed the movement before flickering back to the vertically challenged girl. There was a myriad of emotions bouncing around within her gaze, anger being the most distinguishable.

"Look, _Hotshot, _unlike everyone else here I'm not afraid of you and your parlor tricks. So you can try intimidating me but it's not going to work."

As if a small child had tore into a bag of pop rocks, tiny crackles penetrated the air. Smoke billowed from betwixt his fingers until—

"You shitty side character, I'll kill you!"

Fumbling backwards she narrowly missed his fist. Bakugou reeled his shoulder back, ready to take another swing—

"Alright students, break time is over!"

Both looked up at the same time, watching as their homeroom teacher entered the classroom, a gaggle of students following directly behind him.

Turning back to the blonde that had nearly turned her face into creamed corn, she noticed his chest was heaving as he huffed and puffed like the big bad wolf, but she knew it was from unbridled rage than fatigue.

Asuka snorted sardonically, "Well that was fun."

His eye twitched.

Turning on her heel, Asuka made her way back to her desk. She relaxed her wings, wondering when she'd opened them. As she made the trek back to her seat she couldn't for the life of her unloosen the stiff muscles that were beginning to ache. Behind her still stood the ticking time bomb that was Bakugou.

"This isn't over, you dumb bird!"

She wanted nothing more than to childishly tell him that his insults desperately needed work but she feared a wavering tone would betray her. Instead she collapsed into her seat, clasping her hands together to keep them from shaking.

_What have I done?_

* * *

Midoriya didn't know what to expect when he re-entered the classroom, although the thing he least expected was an unrecognizable bento box sitting innocently on his desk. Cautiously he approached, fearful of the possible contents within. His forest green eyes flickered down, noticing a piece of paper sticking out of it. Carefully pinching the paper, he slowly opened it. Midoriya fully anticipated words laced with hate but instead a single sentence was inscribed.

_You're the hero this world needs._

And just like that, his eyes welled up once more. But this time it wasn't tears of pain.

* * *

**Next Chapter: **

"Kamiya-san? What you did was more than anyone's ever done for me b-but—" he stared down to his clunky red shoes, blurting out the rest of the question, "Why did you help me?"

She looked at him as if that was the stupidest thing to ever leave his mouth. She simply shrugged, "Because it was the right thing to do."

* * *

**Sorry for the wait on this chapter, but after reading over the first draft I just had to redo it. For two months I had an end goal in sight: flesh out Asuka's character and give her some realistic flaws. A lot of them, among other things, were heavily hinted at in this chapter so apologies if it's not as interesting. But ****kudos to whoever catches everything ;D **

**On a side note someone asked me about Asuka's name and why she hoped it wasn't dumb, which hint hint it is. So here it is: ****From the Japanese 神 (kami, kan or shin) "god" and 谷 (ya or tani) "valley." ****First name: (Asuka) is a girl's name that means "bird in Flight", so it roughly translates to: ****Bird in flight in God's valley**

**Hisoka = Reserved. **

**Also a lot of people were hinting to Asuka's father and I can confirm it is _NOT _All-Might or Hawks. Hawks and All-Might will make appearances later on, maybe one of them next chapter. ****And I'd also like to state that Asuka does _not _know anything past the first episode of the anime, so that means she does known Midoriya will receive All-Might's power but everything past that she is absolutely in the dark. **

**Anyways, I can't wait to dive into the next chapter, which I think you guys are going to love with the length and the introduction of new characters. As always, please feel free to DM me or drop a review - they really motivate me! **

**Signing off, **

**Sandafairy**


	4. A Measured Heart

The Wind Beneath Her Wings

Chapter Four:

A Measured Heart

* * *

"As you all know third year's end is fast approaching, which means you all need to start taking your futures seriously!" Groans circulated the room. Despite the lousy feedback their homeroom teacher continued as it he hadn't heard them, "For those of you wanting to apply to U.A. High School, I now have the applications and the dates for the mock exams. Upon passing the mock exams you'll be handed a new date for U.A.'s entrance exam. Take a packet on your way out. Class dismissed!"

The entire class erupted in exuberant cheers as students slung their backpacks over their shoulders and charged the homeroom teacher's desk, grabbing a packet before running out. Zipping up her backpack, Asuka watched as the chaotic line of students dwindled until it was only one. Midoriya. Ever so bashful, he delicately picked up the packet. His entire body radiated happiness, stars practically forming in his eyes as he stared down at the papers. Unbeknownst to the blissfully euphoric teen their homeroom teacher rolled his eyes at his retreating form, scoffing in derision as Midoriya walked away. Asuka scowled at the older man, finally throwing her backpack over her shoulder.

She was halfway through the door when—

"Kamiya, a word."

Asuka's hand tightened around the backpack's strap, turning to him she asked, "Yes, sensei?"

"I'll cut to the chase, I want you to apply to U.A.—"

"But—"

"This entire year you haven't demonstrated any academic growth. In fact your test scores are average, but I think we both know it's because you've always got your nose buried deep in a book," he flashed her a look that dared her to interrupt him, "I don't care about your reasoning, but I want you to know that you're not like the rest of these brats. You have potential that I don't want to see wasted on some regular nine to five job."

Asuka stared at him, shocked. This was by far the nicest thing he's said to anyone all year. Was he actually soft beneath that tough exterior?

"Besides, the more kids I get into U.A. the bigger my bonus will be at the end of the year."

_I guess not... _

He thrust the packet into her hands, "If you don't sign yourself up by the end of the week I'll forge the papers myself."

* * *

_Do I even want to be a hero? _

Asuka stared down at the daunting packet in her hands.

_What the hell are you even thinking? Of course you can't be a hero! Becoming one would only send you to an early grave. _

The rational side of her brain was right, of course. There was no guarantee that if she died this time she'd come back. There was no such thing as third chances.

_But do you want to continue spending your nights alone, eating cupped noodles? _

She stopped short, feet rooting themselves into the ground as her breath quickened. Squeezing her eyes painfully shut she squashed down the thought, ignoring her thundering pulse. Deciding to save what was left of her mental health, Asuka folded up the application and tucked it away.

* * *

"Afternoon, Ryushi-san!"

The older man smiled cordially, bobbing his head in greeting as he rung up a customer.

After quickly grabbing the instant noodles, the ink-haired teen slid into a nearby candy aisle. She gazed upon the shelves drowning in colors that seemed to have popped out of a unicorn's ass, debating over which candy to get. After finally deciding on one she swiped it, pirouetting into the next aisle, fully intent on killing time. It wasn't like she had anyone waiting for her at home. A barrage of obnoxiously bright colors assaulted her eyes as she was greeted with shelves filled to the brim with All Might trinkets. As she inspected the school supplies her gaze landed on a golden pen decorated in red, white and blue stars. On the side of it, in a big white comic bubble was his famous catchphrase, _I am here! _Perched atop the pen was an adorably small figurine of All Might with hands on his hips, flashing his signature smile.

"Are you a fan of All Might?"

Like glass around her, Asuka's reverie shattered into a million pieces. Turning her head, she nearly jumped out of her skin at the man's appearance: gangly and skeletal, with towering sunflower blonde hair and piercing oceanic eyes located inside of hollowed, sunken sockets. She quickly schooled her features, reminding herself that it was rude to stare but for some reason he seemed...oddly familiar. She racked her brain, trying to pinpoint it but eventually came up short.

He was staring at her expectantly.

Asuka turned away from him, fiddling with the bag of candy in her hands as her gaze fixated on the pen once more, "O-Oh, um— no, I'm not. Sorry."

She cringed at the confession. Admitting you weren't hung up on All Might was like admitting you enjoyed torturing old people. _Actually, people would probably be more accepting of geriatric abuse because God forbid you bash their number one hero. _

The blonde momentarily stilled, clearly surprised with her answer. He quickly wiped any semblance of emotion from his face, but from the corner of her eye she could still make out the corners of his lips tugging down in disappointment, "Oh... how come?"

Her brows furrowed, deep-set eyes focusing too harshly on the stationary. "When heroes go Pro they tend to lose themselves along the way, y'know? They get so caught up in the fame that they always forget why they started fighting."

The hand that fiddled with the candy bag ceased, "But not All Might, he's— well... _All Might._ He's been fighting for the same thing since day one. But the people looking up to All Might are more focused on his latest save than _him._ They never take the time to see how he's doing, which by the way is _so_ shitty because can you even imagine the amount of pressure and stress put on him?" Her free hand soared through the air as she fumbled for words, "I guess what I'm trying to say is while I appreciate him and everything he stands for I just wished more people cared about _him_. It's sad how quickly people just tend to forget that there's a person beneath that costume."

She was slightly out of breath by the end of her tirade. She swung her gaze towards the gangly man, nearly jumping once more as his piercing cerulean eyes caught hers. His gaze was penetrating and otherworldly, almost as if it could pierce straight through her soul and figure out all her dirty secrets. The teen shifted uncomfortably, her pits beginning to sweat under his probing gaze. The man's unwavering silence led Asuka to believe she'd said something wrong.

"That's very noble of you." He finally said, voice gravelly. A few beats later he extended a finger, "So who're you getting the pen for?"

A smile broke out on her face, stretching from ear to ear, "A kid in my class, he's _obsessed_ with All Might. I just thought it'd be something nice to get him, to calm his nerves and whatnot since he's applying to U.A. soon."

"Are you applying too?"

She released a short, breathy laugh, "No, I'm not. I don't think I'm cut out for the hero life."

"What makes you say that?"

She shrugged. _Maybe it's because I already died once and don't feel like doing this shit all over again. _

—_But then again, are you really living? _

_Shut up, you stupid—_

"I think you have the makings of a great hero."

Asuka stilled, back becoming ramrod straight as she arched an incredulous brow. She almost wanted to laugh at how ridiculous he sounded.

The blonde's gaze locked with hers once more, his electric blue eyes now deathly serious, "You have a good heart, kid. And the world definitely needs more of that. Besides, you remind me of someone I used to know."

_Maybe this man is senile. _

Looking down to check his watch, his impenetrable gaze met hers once more, "It's been nice chatting with you but I've got to go. I hope you make the right decision."

Asuka nodded, mumbling under her breath, "So do I."

* * *

By the time she got home the sun had dipped below the horizon, casting the world in shadow.

Kicking the door closed behind her, Asuka slipped off her shoes and made her way into the kitchen. Throwing the grocery bag on the counter, she rummaged around in her pockets and emptied the contents. Keys, bubblegum wrapper, some left over change and the accursed application. Robin's-egg eyes stared at it, before grabbing the gallon of milk off the counter and moving to the fridge.

"Why're you home late?"

Asuka jumped, smacking her head on the inside of the fridge. She retreated, hissing as she rubbed the sore spot. Her mother stood in the kitchen's doorway with arms crossed over her chest, still clad in her mint green scrubs. Like always her charcoal hair was haphazardly placed in a lopsided bun that had begun to melt, non-designer bags hanging loosely under her eyes.

"What're you doing home so early?"

Chocolate hues squinted, pulling the lines around her eyes taut. The message they held was conveyed loud and clear: _I asked you first young lady and I expect to be answered. _

"I picked up some things for dinner. I must've lost track of time, but I wasn't expecting you home so early." Asuka admitted. "I thought you had an extra shift at the hospital tonight."

"I did, but Tsuki-san offered to cover it so I could come home early. Are you displeased by my appearance?"

"Of course not," she weakly reassured, "Just unexpected, is all."

Slowly, her mother slithered past her, maneuvering with sickening ease. Hisoka began investigating the shopping bag as she took out the items one by one. Her face contorted in disgust as she reached Asuka's soon-to-be instant noodle dinner. Fretful blue hues darted to the folded paper nearby.

_Pleasedontopenitpleasedontopenit—_

"What's this?"

_Fuck my life. _

"Nothing," she fumbled, trying to remain neutral despite the dread thrumming through her veins, "it's not important."

With every crease that began to unfold, so did Asuka. A flash of heat rolled down her spine, spiking an uncomfortable warmth all over. The saliva that once took residency in her mouth became expelled as her mouth become a barren wasteland. Her mother's eyes rolled over the paper, her face crumpling like the paper in her hands. A myriad of emotions clicked by, confusion, disbelief and fear were most prominent until it finally settled on anger. When she finally looked up Asuka felt her insides shrivel up into nothingness. A faraway look entered her mother's eye before ebbing away into nothing but unrestrained fury.

Hisoka's tone was colder than a cadaver, "What's the meaning of this?"

Goosebumps rippled across her skin as the atmosphere turned frigid. She felt a thrill of danger shoot down her spine as an overwhelming desire to test out her wings kicked in. But the look her mom gave her was enough to send the air rushing out of her lungs. Despite the room's shrinking oxygen they continued to stare at each other, Asuka pinned down to where she stood by two pools of bark brown.

"I will ask again and I want the truth, _Asuka. _What — is — _this?_"

Anxiety clutched her ankles, threatening to drag her down. Her hands trembled as another chill rolled down her back, a distant humming in her ears. Asuka's lips remained sealed, her silence speaking volumes. Red hot shame pooled into her stomach, reminding her that what she was doing was wrong. It reminded her of how naive she was — that her blatant disobedience was hurting her mother.

Her heart thudded thunderously from within the confines of her chest. It's whispers were harsh as it vehemently disagreed, assuring her that she had nothing to feel guilty over.

Hisoka's voice began raising until it became as shrill as cutlery scraping against a plate, "How _dare _you bring something like this into this home!"

Her mother waved the papers through the air, emphasizing her anger with each shake of the packet, "You were raised better than this Asuka, you should know better! And to think — after everything I've done for you _this _is the _thank you I get?_"

Within her, a blazing inferno began to burn. With each accusation her mother threw at her, the more the flames were fanned. Storm cloud wings shook as her disgust steadily rose, "_Raise me?_ Are you joking? I practically raised myself!"

Her voice quaked, straining to hold back the million and one emotions coursing through her. But years of snowballed loneliness, societal pressures and resentment began shooting out of her. "How _dare _you claim to have raised me. You are anything _but_ present in my life. You have never been here for me, especially when I needed you most!" Tears welled up in her eyes, teeming and threatening to spill over. "I'm just so tired of — of _everything!_"

Against her will a deafening sob escaped the confines of her chest, tears beginning to leak out. Asuka rubbed her pesky eyes with balled fists.

Hisoka stared at her daughter, her anger beginning to begrudgingly dissipate as she took on the appearance of a deflated balloon. "I—" her voice cracked like a prepubescent boy, "I had no idea you felt this way."

Silence followed her confession as Asuka steeled her resolve, swiping at stubborn tears.

"I'm becoming a hero whether you like it or not." Asuka said frostily, her eyes two blue chips of ice.

Smothering a fresh wave of guilt, Asuka sharply turned on her heel.

She needed to get out of here.

"Wait, Asuka—!"

She slammed the door on her way out.

* * *

Kicking a pebble with more force than necessary Asuka watched it sail through the air with skidded steps.

Wiping the last bit of tears away, she shoved her hands into her uniform's pockets, feeling a headache creeping up her neck. To keep from falling into a fit of hyperventilation Asuka breathed in deeply, counting the seconds before releasing and repeating the process over again. By her seventh set of breathing exercises she regained control of herself. The emotional teen continued walking with no direction or purpose, not a single clue to where she was going. But over the incessant pounding in her skull a mantra emerged urging her to _keep going. _

During the day Musutafu was a city known for it's fast paced lifestyle and bustling energy. The crowds took on a life of their own, the vibrant clothes shone in the morning light as the people moved like enchanting shoals of fish. In the heart of the city, there's always a constant chatter between sellers and buyers, old friends catching up, new friends being made. It's busy for sure, but the hustle and bustle brings a life to this city she wouldn't want to be without.

But now with the moon hung high overhead, the streets were desolate, save for a few stray cats. The ink colored sky contrasted beautifully against the bright street lights, their luminescence shining down on her as she passed. Tall, echoingly empty buildings and skyscrapers stretched on for miles, engulfing the entire city. Occasionally she'd pass by a building with dozens of darkened windows, all except one, where a cleaner may be cleaning or a lone workaholic may be seen alone at his desk. She'd been lucky enough not to encounter any drunkards who may be trying to make their way home, if they remember where it is. The only source of life came in the form of a young lady on the opposite sidewalk with a head held down and arms crossed as she walked very quickly, worried whether there may be people with nasty motives.

As she continued along Asuka couldn't help but wonder when she'd gotten so _emotional. _Mentally she was supposed to be thirty-one, but it felt as if nothing had changed. Almost as if her time as Annabelle had been paused, only for Asuka to resume it.

_Maybe it's just puberty. _

Asuka soon became lost in thought, coming up with theories to help her connect some dots. Halfway through a deep, rabbit-hole of a thought the smell of salty seawater assaulted her nostrils. She whipped her head to the side so fast she heard an audible _crack. _

A faded yellow light being circulated by bugs shone down on a sign that read: _Dagobah Municipal Beach Park_

She breathed in, asking herself if she was really about to do the most cliché teenager thing ever.

The answer was simple: hell yeah.

Ripping off her socks and shoes, Asuka charged down the steps. On her way down her face fell, disappointment seeping through at the tons of garbage she'd not previously seen. A surge of anger passed through her as she maneuvered through the various piles of oscillating junk. How could someone just dump their garbage on a _beach? _

Shaking her head in disgust, Asuka scanned the area.

_There_, she thought, finding a spot near the shoreline that wasn't occupied by filth. She shimmied through the repugnant maze before sitting down, the coarse sand kissing her bare legs. She lay her head in folded arms sitting atop propped knees, closing her eyes as she carefully listened to the whispering waves crash against the shore. It was a raw yet gentle hushing sound, as if someone were putting a baby to sleep. An exhale of warm moist air expelled from her lungs as turquoise eyes peered open once more. Waves of deep royal blue crept towards her before running away, only to repeat the process in a cycle that caused droplets of salty water to spray onto her bare, sand-encrusted feet.

Hugging her knees closer to her chest, Asuka looked up, taking in the stars above.

They illuminated the pitch-black curtain draping over the sky, crumbling her fears to dust beneath her feet. The years of resentment, the lies she told herself, the self-loathing, the failures — they now lingered at a distance. The milky speckles twirled and danced along the sky in various patterns, tugging at the corners of her lips in a way that almost made her smile. It was hard to shove aside the worries corrupting her mind, but eventually, she just...stopped thinking.

An unbidden warmth rolled down her cheeks, giving way to a bitter cold as a salty breeze rolled by. Traitorous tears soundlessly slipped out. Crying felt good, especially when they were tears that she didn't want to push away. They weren't drops of sadness, no. They were more like the feelings of joy, relief, happiness and freedom streaming away from her hurt eyes. They were temporary cleaners to wash away the pain. That night, under the protection of the stars and the beautiful moon, she felt like she could let the floodgates open with a single snap of her fingers. Asuka stared up at the sky and continued to let her pain run away for the moment. The cold midnight waves rolled in and tickled her feet, urging her to stay.

Life was fragile. It was laughable, but true. For as long as she had lived in this universe, Asuka had been controlled by fear. Each day was spent trepidatiously, her heart full of dread coupled with a brain overflowing with distress. She dreaded what came next because no matter how much time, effort or energy she put into planning, this life continued to be unyielding and full of uncharted territory. Completely and utterly unpredictable. There was anxiety accompanied by the fear of the unknown. But there was something else that sent her heart hammering—and it wasn't the fear of dying young again. It was living a wasted life.

When Asuka had said she was tired of everything, she had meant it with every fiber of her being. Tired of the same boring routine, tired of being a nobody, tired of living life on the back burner. Asuka had been given a second chance for crying out loud—and she was absolutely wasting it! No longer did she want to live a life miserably, stock full of regrets. She was finally ready to start being a _person_.

It was finally time to fight back, to resurface and keep her head permanently above water—because if she didn't make a change soon, she'd spend the rest of eternity alone in an empty apartment eating cupped noodles. That thought sent fear into the pit of her stomach again, sending a flush of cold through her body despite the fact she was sweating in the god-awful heat.

It was time for her to stop adding years to her life but not life to her years. No longer did she want to stand in the shadow of the past. Instead, from this day forward she would march in the hopes of reaching the stars one day. A final salty tear rolled down her cheek as Asuka fell flat against the million grains of sand. It wasn't long before a sleep spell came over her, warping her vision, forcing her to close her eyes and find solace in the darkness.

Before her mental fatigue fully lulled her to sleep, her last thought was...

_It's definitely puberty. _

* * *

Hisoka lay in her bed staring up at the white ceiling. Her stomach had been twisting uncomfortably all night, fearful for her daughter. She hoped Asuka was safe and using the good head on her shoulders.

_She's probably at a friend's house, _Hisoka mused.

She sighed, closing her eyes in defeat as she replayed the words that had transpired between both of them over and over. What was she going to do?

She clenched a fist over her heart as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. _If only you were here, Hideki..._

* * *

"—up!"

"—wake up!"

The words were coming in fuzzy and distorted, like static crackling on an old radio.

She turned onto her side, facing away from the noise.

Asuka moaned, "Leave me alone."

"Ma'am, you have to get up!"

With every ounce of her being she slowly propped open an eyelid. A blue blur hovered above her, muddled and murky. Sitting up, she fisted her eyes with balled up fists, blinking rapidly to sharpen the image. Leaning over her was a young man clad in a sky blue shirt beneath a navy blue bulletproof vest, with a walkie-talkie, hat and—

_A bulletproof vest! _

Scrambling to her feet Asuka snapped awake.

"I am so sorry officer—" she squinted at the nametag, "Iwasaki. I swear, I was just—"

His laughter was deep and rumbling, a joyous sound to her ears. His eyes, a gray as dark as stone, shined with mirth, "There's no need to panic. I got a call of a dead body on the beach, but it's nice to know it's alive and well."

A brick colored blush painted her cheeks.

_Screw you, Universe! _

His ear splitting smile positively radiated sunshine. "However... since it's the beach's off season you're technically trespassing, so, how about I let you off with a warning and we call it a day?"

She could die from embarrassment.

Asuka quickly nodded, "Thank you, Iwasaki-san. Enjoy the rest of your day!" She scurried off before he had the chance to respond, although she was more than positive he was snickering behind her.

* * *

The door shut behind her with a soft click_. _With a snail's pace she slipped off her shoes, tiptoeing down the hallway to her bedroom. Her hand hovered above the brass doorknob, a second away from twisting it and giving way to her plushy, unmade bed. She couldn't wait to dive right in and sleep for a thousand years.

"Asuka, is that you?"

Screwing her eyes shut, she sighed, _Universe, you are one sadistic prick._

"Yeah, it's me."

She couldn't help but bitterly wonder who else it would be. Her mother soon emerged from her room and into the hallway, looking absolutely haggard. Asuka sucked in a breath, _What the hell happened to her? _

She hadn't seen her mother look this worn out since the day she gave birth. Despite this, Asuka knew she wasn't one to judge because she was still in her school uniform from yesterday, spent the night on a beach and most likely looked like a less-than-fresh pile of shit.

With watery eyes her mother closed the distance, flinging her arms around Asuka's shoulders. She immediately stiffened, the abnormal display of affection throwing her for a loop.

Cool droplets splashed onto her neck as her mother cried, "I was so worried about you."

Timidly she raised awkward arms around Hisoka. She wanted to ask who this woman was and what she'd done with her mother. Perhaps the woman holding her wasn't actually her mother, but a villian with a Quirk that allowed them to steal the appearance of others. If that was true then that would mean—

"I think it's time we had a talk," she said in a somber tone, pushing off of Asuka. She firmly held her hands on Asuka's shoulders, giving them a gentle squeeze before retreating, "Come with me."

As she followed her mother towards the room her senses became heightened, preparing herself for the worse. Entering her mother's bedroom, Hisoka stood off to the side and indicated for her to sit on the bed. Wordlessly she followed the instructions, the bed dipping beneath her weight. Asuka's wings quivered. She felt like a troubled child in the principal's office. Hisoka fingers twitched in a rare display of unease.

"I know I haven't been the best mother to you—"

"That's not true!" she loudly interjected.

Hisoka shook her head, sadness seeping into her eyes. "You mustn't lie Asuka, I know I could've done better. And what you said...it's true. I should've been there for you and paid closer attention to how you were feeling. But," coffee colored eyes rapidly blinked back tears, "These past fourteen years I've been incredibly selfish. Ever since your father died I've been a mess."

A single teardrop slipped from her left eye, rolling down her cheek until she caught it. "I've been so consumed by my own feelings that I neglected yours. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

Her mother's body shifted forward, bowing deeply at the waist in a formal apology. Asuka's heart clenched at the sight. Sliding off the bed and across the room, she stood before her mother. Grabbing her hand and giving it a delicate squeeze, she spoke, her words as soft as cotton candy, "I forgive you."

And she did, even though it meant they'd have a lot to work on.

Hisoka slowly rose, her eyes finding her daughter's, "I just want you to know Asuka, I've always loved you. Even if I haven't properly shown it."

"I know mom."

A soothing silence enveloped the room. The only discernible sound was the beating of her heart.

Her mother was the first to break it, "I want to be here for you, and support you in everything you do. I want to be a better mother, and by seeking professional help I think I'll be able to achieve that." Hisoka's lips thinned, contorting into a frown, "But if being a superhero is what you want, I won't allow it."

Within her mind a metaphorical record needle slipped, scratching at the disc with a halting _screech_ as her world shifted. Her mother's words punched her in the face, causing Asuka to recoil as if burned. She quickly tore her hand away from her mother's, "Even after all of that you won't budge?"

Her heart clenched at the betrayal.

"No. I won't, I'm sorry. Losing your father was too much and I won't lose you too."

Another silence blanketed the room, the atmosphere now awkward and stifling.

She knew she'd be toeing the line by asking it, but this was the first time in fourteen years she'd ever mentioned him, "What was he like?"

Hisoka's head whipped towards her daughter. "Your father?"

She nodded.

Her mother's face turned pensive, melancholy seeping into her eyes. "His name was Hideki. He was incredibly stubborn. When he set his mind to something, he did it. Even an act of God wouldn't stop him. But he was also had the kindest, gentlest soul with a particular soft spot for animals. I cannot tell you how many times he brought home stray animals."

For a few beats Hisoka became lost in thought, but continued where she left off, "He was also quick as a whip with a tongue of silver. And always so curious about everything," a wry grin touched her lips, "You remind me of him in more ways than one. Especially with those wings of yours."

Asuka raised an acquisitive brow, imploring her mother to continue. But Hisoka's voice caught on the word _wings_ and her entire being began shutting down. Asuka's tongue desperately wanted to dig further into the conversation, to ask what she meant by the lingering statement involving her additional appendages, but she knew it wouldn't pan out. Her mother was in a very delicate state right now, sharing more than she ever had. If she poked and prodded too much she'd lose this connection forever.

But this she needed to know, "Was he a Pro Hero?"

When she was met with silence, she decided to push the envelope, "Would he approve of me being a hero?"

Her mother's silence spoke volumes.

It wasn't long before Hisoka's eyes turned to slits. "You're playing a dangerous game Asuka, and I would tread lightly if I were you."

Asuka's back straightened, her wings unfurling ever so slightly as her stance shifted to one of great confidence. A fire of zest burned bright in her eyes. Brazenly she declared, "I told you before, I'm going to become a hero whether you like it or not. Nothing's going to stop me."

She had made up her mind last night. And this was a feeling she refused to squash down. Hands on her hips she added, "I'll even forge your signature if I have to!"

Her mother gasped in a scandalized manner, "You wouldn't dare."

"Oh, I _would._"

Weary chestnut met fiery turquoise. Her mother's pupils shifted to and fro, but nevertheless Asuka held a steady gaze. Hisoka nodded to herself in a defeated manner as she whispered morosely, "This isn't something you're willing to give up, is it?"

"Absolutely not, this is something I really want to do. Besides, you can't keep a bird caged."

_Oh God, did I really just say that? _

She wanted to vomit over her word-vomit.

When nothing more was said, Asuka turned to leave. She was halfway through the door when her ears picked up, "Why the sudden change?"

_Oh I don't know...I had a well timed epiphany last night that told me to stop wasting my second chance at life._

She racked her brain for some sort of intellectual response. Not coming up with one, she frowned. Asuka was stuck, unable to tell her mother the truth. After a moment's panic she decided on giving Hisoka an altered version of the truth, "I feel like I was put here for a reason. And I'm not really sure what that reason is, but I have an innate desire to help others. And," she breathed, admitting this not only to her mother, but to herself, "I want to do the most with what I've got."

Giving her wings a slight shake she finished, "I know these can be used for good."

It was official. Her word vomit had officially upgraded to word diarrhea.

Finally she left after what felt like forever, not daring to her shoulder as she did so. Instead she retreated to her bed in silence. She was out before she had the chance to throw on the blanket.

* * *

The next day she awoke to a piece of paper taped to her door. It was her application. Her _signed _application.

* * *

The weeks crawled by.

In them, Asuka had handed in her application. Her homeroom teacher had secretly been ecstatic, mumbling what he'd do with his bonus as she walked away. The mock exams had also came and went. She'd scored a respectable 86, which was only seven places above passing and was certainly nothing to write home about. But she'd passed. Not that she had anyone to tell.

Her mother outright refused to discuss anything hero related. It was almost as if she hadn't signed her application. But she had begun seeing a therapist to unload fourteen years worth of emotional baggage and was putting forth great effort in becoming a better mother. Hisoka had even started taking Sundays off from the hospital, dedicating the days to spending time with Asuka and surprising her with real dinners. The first few Sundays together had been terribly awkward but they had worked on it, pushing through the awkward conversations of how work was or how she'd done on the latest exam until finding a middle ground. Asuka's instant noodle days were quickly becoming a thing of the past. Although, she still kept a secret stash of candy despite her mother berating her on how unhealthy and stock-full of calories they were.

Despite the 86 she received, her score had not been the highest in the class. That place was held by, she couldn't help but roll her eyes, Bakugou. Of course he'd passed with flying colors and had spent days bragging about it. And currently he was—

"—Don't lump me in with these wannabes! My Quirk is the only real one here, it'll blast any of you losers away!"

—bragging at the top of his lungs.

What else was new?

He stood atop his desk, stomping down like a crazed orangutan experiencing a sugar rush. Bakugou had spent the last three minutes and forty-five seconds — not that she was counting or anything — steamrolling through his typical over-the-top declarations, claiming to become the strongest and richest hero out there. Thankfully Asuka had mastered the art of tuning him out.

"You're also going for U.A., aren't you Midoriya?"

The earth stopped on its axis, momentarily freezing time. The entire class went deathly silent save for Bakugou, his left eye beginning to twitch. All at once everyone turned, staring at the verdant haired boy. His face erupted in flames, turning fifteen shades of red as he tucked himself between folded arms. Asuka couldn't help but think he looked like a frightened ostrich with its head in the ground. The entire class erupted in laughter, one student began tearing up as he choked on his cackles while another spat the water he was drinking onto a nearby girl. The tips of Midoriya's ears turned a darker shade of red, his body beginning to awkwardly fidget. He looked as if he wanted nothing more than a hole to appear in the floor and swallow him up.

The corners of her lips tugged down into a displeased frown.

They then began to mock him.

"Midoriya? No way! Good grades can only get you so far!"

"What're you going to when you encounter a villain? Scare him away with your A plus in English?"

Roars of laughter followed.

It wasn't until Bakugou looked over his shoulder, his entire demeanor radiating anger. He lunged forward, slamming an explosive hand onto Midoriya's desk. The smaller boy recoiled, jumping back a few feet to avoid the blast.

"Get a grip, Deku! You think a Quirkless loser like _you _has a chance at U.A.? You must be dumber than you look." His laughter was deep and rumbling, piercing the air as it was released from his lips. "It's cute that you think you can rub shoulders with _me._"

During his scrambling to back away from Bakugou, Midoriya tripped and fell backwards. He continued to scoot back like a frenzied crab until his back eventually hit a wall, successfully cornering himself in. Bakugou advanced, closing the distance between them.

Asuka had seen enough.

She vaulted from her seat, tipping the chair over from the force of the action. Her heart became her driving force as her body switched to autopilot. Pushing past the gathering crowd of students she brazenly jumped into the fray, sandwiching herself in between Bakugou's hulking figure and Midoriya's defeated one. With a mighty _woosh_ her wings unfurled like a ship's sail, her wide expanse becoming a dividing line between the two boys. She curled them backward towards Midoriya, shielding him.

A thin blonde brow arched in disbelief, carmine eyes now set ablaze as his lips tugged down into a sneer, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

A thick sense of déjà vu slapped her in the face, his words exactly the same as they were four years ago.

But he was right. What the hell was she doing?

Similarly, a blazing fire entered her eyes as she steeled her nerves, reminding herself that what she was doing was right.

"_Enough_, Bakugou. I'm putting an end to this."

"And what makes an insignificant speck like _you_ think you can stop _me_!"

Years of constant abuse, of him terrorizing students like Midoriya, came to the forefront of her mind. Every taunt, torment, physical assault, embarrassing nickname or joke he had made was enough to crush any anxiety she might've felt, spurring her to finally put him in his place. After all, somebody had to. Asuka could literally feel her blood begin to boil at the mere thought of him. He was the only one who could get under her skin like that.

Behind him the mass of students peered on, confusion drawn all over their faces. Asuka narrowed her eyes, focusing solely on the explosive blonde as she pulled her peony lips back into a fierce scowl. She had become furious at the taunting remark, and the snake of hatred that was coiled in her chest was ready to lash out.

"How do you expect to become a Pro Hero if you're using your Quirk against the Quirkless?" she shook her head, appalled. She then hissed out, "You're better off becoming a villain since your personality is suited for it!"

Her ears were met with her classmates' heavy intakes of breath as Bakugou's chest began heaving.

The blonde's knuckles cracked loudly as his hands became fists. He roared, "You worthless guppy! I'll pound your face in and rip your fucking wings off, one at a time!"

Bakugou reeled back his right arm, his hand now smoldering as he prepared for his assault.

In that exact moment, unbeknownst to her, a flash of soft glowing white shined across Asuka's wings. Behind her, mossy green eyes widened in disbelief. Bakugou stared past Asuka, having caught the flicker as well. The quick flash of white was enough to momentarily throw Bakugou off, a split-second mishap that would allow for the interruption of the century.

"Hey! What the hell are you kids doing? Break it up!"

Every single head turned towards the front, their homeroom teacher looking redder than a tomato. He was downright furious. He began yelling at the top of his lungs for everyone to get their shit together and act their age, and how he wasn't paid enough to deal with this. As everyone else sulkily retreated, some muttering about how upset they were that their homeroom teacher just cockblocked the fight of the century, Bakugou turned back to Asuka's defensive form, the palm now at his side still clenched and smoking. The murderous look on his face clearly said, _this isn't over. _

As he retreated, he scooped up Midoriya's encyclopedic-esque superhero notebook, venting his frustration by giving it the blast intended for her. She sucked in a breath through clenched teeth, watching the charred notebook fly out the window.

_Bastard. _

As everyone began clamoring and packing up to leave, Asuka's ashen wings dropped, drooping as the adrenaline began washing away. The world slowly came back to her.

_I can't believe I just did that. _

She couldn't remember the last time she had been so ballsy. Asuka chalked it up to being fed up with the explosive blonde. Snapping back to the present, Asuka slowly turned around, extending a hand towards the shaggy haired boy. "Are you alright, Midoriya-kun?"

His hand tentatively curled around hers before she hoisted him up. The genuine happiness and trust that radiated from Midoriya was enough to bring tears to Asuka's eyes. He fidgeted nervously, swiping at the imaginary dust on his uniform.

Asuka stood there for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Wading through the awkwardness, she scooped up her backpack before looking back at him with the tiniest hint of a smile, "Well, are you coming?"

At first he looked mystified, as if he couldn't believe his ears. Then he noticed she was staring and his face erupted in red once more before quickly nodding. Like a puppy he followed wordlessly and without question. As they transcended down the stairs, side by side, he fiddled with his backpack's straps. In a less-than-subtle fashion, his eyes would periodically fly over to glance edgily at Asuka's face.

As he peered over once more, Asuka turned to him, catching him in the act. Vermillion instantly dusted his cheeks.

"S-Sorry, um, Kamiya-san, right? Where are we going?"

"To get your notebook."

"Oh."

As they reached the koi pond Asuka watched the shoals of fish delicately maneuver around, their scales glittering in the sun. Rolling up her sleeve she gently eased her arm into the water, trying not to disrupt the fish as she retrieved the notebook. Brilliant robin's shell eyes turned to him with pain written in them. Ink smeared across the sopping pages, dark droplets rolling down her wrist as she handed it to Midoriya. He graciously accepted it, a forlorn look entering his eyes as he delicately moved the paged. As he surveyed the damage she felt her heart sink a little more.

"Kamiya-san? What you did was more than anyone's ever done for me b-but—" he stared down to his clunky red shoes, blurting out the rest of the question, "Why did you help me?"

She looked at him as if that was the stupidest thing to ever leave his mouth. She simply shrugged, "Because it was the right thing to do."

_And if our roles were reversed I know you'd do the same for me._

His eyes were confused, yet strangely intelligent as they analyzed her. To put his mind at ease, Asuka flashed him a bright grin. Midoriya's face immediately pinkened as he began sheepishly rubbing the back of his head with his free hand.

A silence lightly sprinkled with awkwardness developed around the teens. The only distinguishable sound to be heard was the dripping of Midoriya's notebook and the occasional air bubble popping on the surface of the koi pond. It was strange, but despite no words currently being exchanged between them, Asuka almost felt at ease.

Midoriya was the first to break the silence, "Kamiya-san—"

"Kamiya's fine."

"A-Ah, Kamiya," Midoriya fixed, releasing a shy, somewhat flustered kind of laugh, "What exactly is your Quirk?"

His face was shy but his eyes shone with a rather fierce curiosity. A raw inquisitiveness colored his features as he watched her face drop.

Quickly schooling her features, she idly responded, "Regenerative feathers."

His face crumpled somewhat, obviously disappointed with her response. A few beats passed before the disappointment on his face finally melted away to confusion as he raised his hand to his mouth, fingers splayed across his lips as they began _tap, tap, tapping _away. The mossy haired boy began talking to himself, muttering like a madman with the only distinguishable words being _classroom _and _glowing. _Asuka couldn't make heads or tails of it and instead chose to roll with it.

As his mutterings deepened, an untethered and distorted voice in the back of her mind wrung out.

* * *

_The voice that spoke_ _had a lovely mellifluous flow to it. It was strikingly similar to hers, __"So you're telling me he attacks this villain all willy nilly? And without any sort of super power?" _

_Another voice, younger and distinctly male, said in an annoyed tone, "It's an anime. You shouldn't be questioning every little thing!" There was a scoff before the voice finished, "Besides, this is the beginning of his story. And every cool superhero begins somewhere." _

* * *

"Midoriya-kun, I have to go!" she blurted suddenly, the words tumbling from her lips.

Midoriya's musings immediately halted as he blinked in surprise. Something in his eyes made her want to stay, but she knew she couldn't disrupt his destiny. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Besides, she had something to do anyways.

* * *

Swarms of people blocked her path. They crowded around the seats of TVs belonging to the electronic store, voices hushed as murmurs of information passed from one to another.

Unable to see past the towering shoulders, Asuka turned to the nearest person, "What's happening?"

The man shrugged nonchalantly, as if discussing something as mundane as the weather, "Some middle schooler is being held hostage by a sludge monster."

The droves of people began chittering until a single voice clamored, "Look! There's another kid!"

This all seemed _too _familiar to her.

Asuka seized the momentary distraction as their eyes remained glued to the screens, strategically maneuvering past the crowd. Shimming past one last person, she finally broke through the human barrier. Her breath caught in her chest the moment her eyes landed on the TV. Held captive within the gelatinous being was undeniably Bakugou, she'd know that hair from anywhere. But the camera's focus had shifted to a green haired boy—Midoriya, she realized haltingly, who was now vaulting forward at top speed. His expression was utterly panicked, his eyes frantically flickering between Bakugou and the sludge villain—but beneath the panic was a sliver of courage. Without losing momentum, Midoriya's hand slid through the strap of his backpack, taking it off in a continuous fluid motion and chucking it directly at the villian.

_Where have I seen this before? _

The scene unfolding before her was awfully familiar and the slap of déjà vu made her slightly nauseous. But as Asuka tried to hone in on the specifics her brain drew a devastating blank, her memory murky and muddled.

Asuka's musings had dragged her from reality, because when she looked back at the screen, a gigantic flash of white flew by. The muscular hero loudly proclaimed, "A Pro Hero should always be ready to risk his life!"

Reeling back an arm the size of a tree trunk, All Might hollered his finishing move before obliterating the villain. Chunks of booger green sludge poured from the sky, mingling with the sudden onslaught of rain.

The crowd turned obstreperous.

"Did you see that? All Might completely destroyed that villian with one punch!"

"So cool!"

"He even managed to save two middle schoolers at once!"

"I can't believe he changed the weather, it seems scientifically improbable. In fact—"

"Man, I wish I was as strong as All Might!"

"Do you think he's single?"

"As if he'd want your crusty ass."

"Hey!"

Filtering out the noise, turquoise eyes swung up to the screen once more. Crowds of reporters and fans had begun to form around All Might, swarming him as they gushed and praised him for his valiant save. Although the camera was now focused on the beefy blonde, her classmates could still be seen off to the side. They were two sides to the same coin, each telling a different story. Midoriya was surrounded by a few Pros, receiving the scolding of a lifetime. Bakugou on the other hand sat amongst the rubble, looked miffed as lesser known Pro Heroes praised him and attempted to scout him. Looking at them caused a smile to break out on her face.

They were safe.

* * *

Oceanic eyes squinted up at the building's sign, it read: _Davis' Fitness & Self Defense _

Around the city of Musutafu, the lore surrounding Davis' was notorious. Rumors circled the building like vultures around their next meal. On the busy streets of Musutafu information regarding the fitness center was passed in hushed tones, as if the individuals sharing the information were afraid of the owner popping out of the shadows and eating them. The owner — Davis — was said to be an evil tyrant hellbent on wreaking havoc. Davis was described as a hulking figure, barrel-chested and thick-necked with tattoos crawling down his entire body. Many have said his most prominent tattoos were the ones he'd gotten in prison, located on his face. Many believed the owner to be a kingpin in charge of a major underground black market with a deep-rooted gang affiliation, using the fitness center as a front to train thugs and sell drugs. But there was no way of checking these facts because the members of this elitist gym were completely unknown. They were as elusive as whispers in the wind. This of course only added to the lore.

A nervous tremor shot through her wings as Asuka released a breath she didn't know she was holding. She quickly walked towards the building before she could lose her nerve. The electronic glass doors shifted open as a chime announced her presence. A blast of arctic air instantly hit her, the cool, crisp air whipped back her midnight locks as goosebumps erupted beneath the layers of her uniform. The room was modern yet simple, and so uniquely American. Hanging on the walls were dozens of inspirational posters with kitschy phrases like, "Every pro was once an AMATEUR. Every expert was once a BEGINNER. So DREAM BIG and START NOW."

However, the one poster that stood out above the rest was the only professional one, it hung with certainty in a no nonsense sort of way. It read: 18 Years or Older.

She swallowed thickly.

"Can I help you?"

Startled, Asuka's eyes refocused, looking down at a previously unseen receptionist's desk. Behind a computer sat a girl, who by the looks of it was only a few years older than herself. Her hair was dyed a bleach bottle blonde and if the lingering scent of hair dye was any indication, it had been recently touched up. Quicker than a speed-based Quirk, the receptionist's fingers flew across her phone's keyboard.

"Oh, um, I was hoping to—"

The woman behind the desk help up an index finger, eyes still glued to the phone, "Just one second."

Asuka raised a dark brow, taken aback. Standing on her tippy toes she peered over the desk, catching a quick glance of the novel-like text the woman was writing. Yikes.

"Aaaand done. Now what did you want?"

_This lady's customer service skills are absolutely spectacular. _

"I was hoping to speak with Davis." Asuka said, hands nervously smoothing out her skirt.

The blonde's eyes roamed her from the waist up, taking in her uniform before bursting out in laughter. The sound was absolutely grating, like nails on a chalkboard. Asuka was thankful her eardrums hadn't begun to bleed.

"Nice try! Don't you know Davis-san won't see—"

"Honoka! Where are the refreshments I asked for!"

The blonde shot up, knocking over some things on the desk in the process. Bursting out of the doorway was a woman several inches taller than Asuka, with cotton candy pink hair. The pinkish locks were elegantly cut in a pixie fashion, the right side of her head shaven as the rest of her hair was side-swept and ended just above her chin. Adorning her body was a neon pink sports bra and pitch black leggings with mesh. The women's body radiated power with taut muscles covering every surface of her body. Asuka couldn't help but admire the woman before her. It was apparent she was dedicated and held steady convictions, as shown by the abs peeking out above the leggings as well as her sleek, yet well-defined arms and legs. There wasn't a single doubt in Asuka's mind, this woman was an absolute powerhouse.

The blonde scrambled, bumping into things as she awkwardly maneuvered around her desk, "Sorry, I must've—"

"I don't care about excuses, Honoka, you know that. Now get to it!"

Asuka watched Honoka scurry off. What a weird turn of events.

"You!"

Asuka whipped around, pointing to herself.

The pinkette rolled her mint green eyes in annoyance, "Yes, _you. _State your business."

Quickly swallowing in an attempt to moisten her suddenly arid mouth, Asuka stated wobbly, "My name is Kamiya Asuka and I'm here to see Davis-san."

Peony lips twisted in distaste, her face becoming increasingly more annoyed. "You're talking to her. Now spit it out, I don't have all day!"

_This woman is Davis? _

Mint green met robin's shell blue.

Realization dropped on her like a ton of bricks.

_Fuckmylifefuckmylifefuckmylife!_

"I'd like to become your student—"

"Absolutely not."

Asuka stilled, not expecting such a quick rejection. Nevertheless she barreled through, undeterred, "This center is famous and I was hoping to—"

"—Unfairly utilize its resources in a narcissistic quest to fame? To use it as a stepping stone to become a snobby Pro Hero? I don't think so. This is a business—"

"—I have money!"

The pinkette's arms crossed over her chest, nostrils flaring, "_Don't _interrupt me."

Asuka shrunk back into herself but couldn't help but think how unfair that request was.

Her voice was ripe with certainty, "I don't take in anyone younger than eighteen. Especially not snot-nosed twerps with intentions of being a Super."

She tried to stave off the sting of rejection, but had a hard time doing so. "I know...I read the sign but I was just hoping—"

"Wait, wait, wait. Are you able to read these?" Davis said, unfolding her arms as she pointed to a random inspirational quote.

Asuka's face scrunched up in confusion. "Yeah, why?"

Davis stared at her for longer than necessary before shaking her head, as if dissipating a current train of thought. "Look, I can't train you. You're better off looking elsewhere but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Come back in a few years and maybe I'll consider you."

With wings hung low she left the establishment, unaware of the inquisitive mint colored eyes following her out.

* * *

Asuka awoke with the sun and a promise to herself.

_I'm going to make today my bitch! _

She quickly changed into her casual clothes: a blush pink sweater tucked into a black skater skirt with thigh-high black tights and heeled black suede ankle boots.

Looking in the mirror she couldn't help but feel like something was missing. Perhaps a necklace.

_Whatever, I can't think about this right now. _

Stuffing her wallet and keys into her pockets, she whisked herself away.

As she walked along the sidewalk the buildings above her began to breathe life as the lights from within flickered on with the promise of people ready to start their workday. Street vendors flipped on their stoves, yawning as they prepped the day's meals. The few merchants she saw had barely rubbed their eyes before unloading their merchandise. One stand in particular, the popular fruit stand owned by a sweet elderly lady, stopped to feed some stray cats.

Asuka smiled. Nothing was going to bring her down.

It wasn't long before she was at Davis' Fitness Center. The black haired teen stood off to the side, casually checking her watch. 6:30AM. Davis' Fitness & Self Defense didn't open for another hour. But she didn't mind the wait.

Like clockwork, at exactly 7:30AM, a figure clad in black came jogging down the sidewalk. As she quickly approached, Asuka stood straighter. Plugged into the authoritative women's ears was a set of earbuds attached to a runner's armband, where a phone was securely located. Asuka squinted, quickly catching the title of her current song. _Burnin' Up — Jonas Brothers _

She quirked up a brow.

Davis had yet to look at Asuka but she knew Davis was well aware of her presence. She reached into her pant's pocket, producing a key.

Asuka's eyes widened, she had to act fast or her chance would be gone! She surged forward to lightly tap on her shoulder, causing the older woman's face to morph into a look of disgust.

"Davis-san, I was wondering—"

Forcefully jamming the key into the hole Davis turned it, before responding flippantly over her shoulder, "Love the outfit twerp, but not you. The answer is still _no._"

And with that she entered her fitness centered, leaving behind a dumbfounded Asuka.

* * *

Today's strategy was different, more aggressive and innovative. It was a plan she had come up with in the last three minutes, but she was sure it was foolproof.

Her routine was almost identical to yesterday's, but this time she was bringing the big guns.

"Two vanilla lattes, one with a dash of cinnamon please."

As the barista set to work Asuka mentally laid out a plan.

_This is Plan B: Evasive Maneuvers. Also known as bribery. _

After paying for the drinks, she held her head high as she made her way to the center. This was going to be the day. She could feel it in her bones.

Tilting her head like an acquisitive puppy, she peered down at her watch. 7:45AM. Perfect. Asuka picked up her pace, a sudden giddy feeling washing over her as the possibilities grew. Even if today's answer was still the same, which she was sure it would be, she would make Davis _notice her. _

As the doors swished open and the familiar cool air hit her, Asuka's smile widened. Davis stood off to the side, instructing a bleary-eyed Honoka on today's assignments as she braided her cotton candy hair. The chime alerted them of her presence and the moment Davis looked at her, her face fell flat.

"No." she said simply, finishing a braid before turning to enter her gym. "Besides, I hate coffee."

Asuka deflated like a pricked balloon, but she had expected that and instead looked on the positive side of things. Davis had at least looked at her. She saw this as a total win!

Honoka slid over with a grin akin to the Cheshire cat, swiping the latte out of her hand. "Thanks doll, I need a little pep-me-up!"

"Oh, actually that was..." Asuka watched her greedily sip it, "...mine."

Honoka released an annoyingly audible "ugh" before remarking, "I hate cinnamon."

She then proceeded to take another healthy sip.

"Speaking of drinks," Asuka started, "What drinks does Davis-san like?"

A bleached brow lifted as her smirk turned taunting, "You think I'd tell you? Ha! As if!"

Even after Asuka left she could still hear Honoka's shrieking laughter.

* * *

The next day Asuka left a mango dragon fruit lemonade on a nearby ledge. She had the barista write on it in marker, it read:

—_Love Asuka _

She even had him draw a heart for that extra sprinkling of love.

Having decided not to outwardly engage with the scary pinkette, Asuka had done a quick walk by later that evening. She made sure to appear casual as she donned a pair of inconspicuous sunglasses, strolling by at a leisurely pace with her hands stuffed inside her skirt pockets. The drink was nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps this was progress.

_Or she threw it out. _

* * *

By the fifth day Asuka had exhausted all of her options. She'd tried bribery, begging, and bargaining but Davis was not a woman easily swayed. She was bullheaded and extraordinarily stubborn. But Asuka was just as stubborn.

_This is borderlining harassment... _

A part of her didn't want to keep this up, and knew this was starting to become too much. She wanted to respect Davis' wishes and begin looking elsewhere but she just couldn't. There was something about that woman that made Asuka just _know _she was meant to be her teacher. Davis had this indescribable gravitational pull, and it had its claws deeply embedded into Asuka, always pulling her back into the older women's orbit.

But today was the day she was going to give up. Asuka couldn't believe she was even allowing herself to consider this. It tore her up inside, making her feel not only like a quitter but a gigantic failure. But she owed it to Davis, because like her, Asuka respected her own privacy and had unfairly infringed on the older woman's.

Sluggishly, Asuka made her way to the fitness center, mentally rehearsing her resignation and apology.

As she steadily approached the familiar sliding glass doors shrieks of rage penetrated her ears, "I am _soooo _tired of you treating me like shit! Well, I'm _done. _Have fun finding another receptionist on such short notice!"

Honoka bustled past her, face aflame with her anger as her shoulder smacked into Asuka's. She watched Honoka stomp down the busy street, parting the sidewalk like Moses as the people she passed wondered who'd pissed in her cornflakes this morning. The answer to that question was Davis, who was currently standing near the receptionist's desk, back stiff and arms folded as her fingers angrily drummed against her arm. A steady stream of curses poured out of her mouth, tickling Asuka's ears. The words she spoke sounded familiar yet..._odd. _

"Good morning, Davis-san." Asuka courageously greeted.

Said woman turned around, face contorted in a mix of anger and exhaustion.

"Look twerp, I don't have time for this today. My receptionist just quit on me and—"

"—I can be your new receptionist!" Asuka interrupted gleefully, before catching herself, "Sorry for interrupting you, I know how much you hate it, but—"

"No, it's fine." She assured, waving it away, "Would you seriously be up for this? Because you'd be bailing my ass out big time."

Asuka flashed her the brightest smile, "Of course!" A wicked thought entered her head, turning her saccharine smile dastardly, "I'll be your receptionist, on one condition."

Davis' face slackened, not liking where this was going.

"Become my personal trainer."

The answer was immediate, "No. Absolutely not."

"What?" She spluttered, "Why not?"

The pinkette's lips tugged down as she groused out, "Because I said so."

"That's hardly a reason!"

The fingers resting against her arms began tapping once more, "It's enough of a reason for me. Now take a hike, twerp."

Robin's shell eyes stared at the older woman in disbelief. A tremor ran through her body as the realization that Asuka's bluff, the bargaining chip that had given her the upper hand, had been ground up and spit out by Davis.

_That's it, _she thought miserably, _I blew it. _

Closing her eyes as she deeply inhaled, Asuka tried to shake off the defeat consuming her. Davis watched the girl, mouth opening to deliver a biting remark before a flash of soft glowing white shined across the teen's wings. The soft light stretched over the expanse of her wings, from the very top to the tips. Then, like the snap of someone's fingers, the light faded. Asuka's ears perked up as Davis whispered _what the fuck _under her breath. When she opened her eyes she was met with the image of a mystified Davis. Minty hues stared past her and at her feathered appendages, she looked...intrigued?

She raised a fine black brow in question.

After what felt like an eternity Davis inhaled deeply, holding her breath for a few beats, then quickly released it. "I've changed my mind, welcome aboard brat. But before you get too comfortable there's some rules you need to abide by." Her hands removed themselves from over her chest as she began using her fingers to emphasize each point, "Rule number one: Under no circumstances whatsoever are you to relay any information within these walls to outsiders. Confidentiality is key, remember that."

Asuka dutifully nodded.

"I'm serious. You can be getting tortured for all I care. You are not to breathe a single fucking word."

Her eyes locked with Davis', "I promise."

"Rule number two: On the days you work, you are to be here every morning at precisely 7:30AM. Not a second later unless you're fired. Rule number three: Be polite but don't take nobody's shit. People can be real pains in the ass, especially ones that want to join this gym," she looked at Asuka pointedly, "So if they start shit, finish it. Or call me and I'll take care of it. And finally, rule number four: If I ask you to do something, I expect you to do it."

Asuka swallowed, the sudden weight of her words and the responsibility they carried hit her like a stack of bricks.

"I also want you to bring in a spare change of clothes and athletic shoes because your training starts tomorrow."

Asuka blinked owlishly, letting the words sink in. She chewed on them, not fully processing it. "Wait, seriously?"

She nodded definitively, "You're now the face of this company — the first thing people see when they walk through those doors. And if they see some baby with noodle arms what're they going to think?"

"Hey!" Asuka squawked indignantly, "My arms aren't noodley!"

Davis snorted, "I've eaten spaghetti tougher than you for breakfast."

Her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"Besides," the pinkette said proudly, "you're dedicated, this week has proven that. Even if you were a bit stalkerish I know you have good intentions. And...you remind me of myself when I was younger, except I was way cooler."

Pink dusted her cheeks, "Hey!"

Davis barked out a laugh before turning serious once more, "I want you here at the asscrack of dawn. Now get to work, I've got to go set up."

Turning on her heel, Davis looked over her shoulder, flippantly remarking, "Oh, and try not to break anything."

The second she left the room Asuka collapsed into the nearby desk chair in utter disbelief. For once the planets had aligned themselves, bestowing her with infinite good karma and forcing the odds to be in her favor. Her lips drew up into a big, goofy smile. It was official, she now had an instructor that was going to give her some proper training.

_Wait a second... _

She pinched herself.

Hard.

_Nope, this is real._

* * *

Piercing chimes awoke her. Slamming a hand down onto the ancient box she opened a single lid, eye sluggishly rolling over the bright red numbers: 4:30AM.

She wanted to die.

Asuka slowly rolled out of her cocoon of warmth, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she opened her drawers and began changing out of her pajamas. She had barely slept at all, far too excited to fall asleep. Yawning as she tied her hair into a sleek high ponytail, she couldn't help but wonder how Davis was faring. Wonderfully, she imagined. That woman ran on pure adrenaline and ate weaklings for breakfast which made Asuka highly doubt something as trivial as waking up before the sun was a problem for her.

When she was finished, Asuka crept out of her bedroom and down the hall, silently praying she didn't wake up her still-sleeping mother. Asuka hadn't even told her she had a job. Oops.

Silently slipping on her sneakers, she made sure to gently close the door on her way out. The second she stepped onto the sidewalk frozen air clung to her body, sucking away any semblance of warmth like a vampire. By the time Asuka had made it to the fitness center she was shaking like a frostbitten chihuahua, rubbing her exposed arms in a pitiful attempt to quell the goosebumps.

Even in the pitch black she could see the shit eating grin Davis sported, "Good morning, Sunshine."

"G-Good morning, Davis-sensei." Asuka responded, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.

Davis' grin only widened.

_Sadist. _

"I have something for you," Davis reached into her pocket, producing four metallic, matte black cuffs, "These are electronic weights for each wrist and ankle. They'll be your training wheels for the next couple of weeks. And because I was feeling extra generous this morning, I only programmed them to be five pounds."

Asuka daintily received them, carefully clasping them around her wrists and ankles. She shook her wrist experimentally, surprised how just a mere five pounds could make such a difference.

"What's the maximum weight?"

"Fifty. But I have a dead-lifter at the center that has ones going up to a hundred. I'm told there's some that go over two hundred, but I've yet to see those." Davis shook her head, trying not to get caught up in the glorious world of exercise, "Anyways, from here to Dagobah beach is exactly a mile and a half. I want you to run there and back. Do _not_ focus on time, take as long as you need. This is a test of endurance, not speed. And don't even think about using your wings to cheat, if you do I'll turn you into rotisserie."

Asuka swallowed, not a single doubt in her mind that she'd actually do it.

"Any questions before we begin?"

It was irrelevant and extremely off topic, and a small part of her didn't even want to ask it, but it'd been on her mind ever since she heard the pinkette speak. "What part of the U.S. are you from?"

Mint green eyes rolled in her direction, slightly taken aback by the peculiarity, "New Jersey."

Asuka "ahhed" before stating, "That makes sense."

But that still didn't answer why the words she sometimes spoke tickled her ears.

"And for that comment, add an additional three laps around the block." Davis said, lips thinning.

"Slavedriver."

"Twerp."

"Bitch."

Asuka gasped, her heart rocketing down to her stomach. She'd gotten too caught up in their playful, verbal spar and hadn't even thought about it.

Davis cracked a smile at Asuka's horrified expression, desperately attempting to hold back laughter, "Come on dumbass, get to it already."

* * *

Fifteen minutes in, her lungs began to burn. It wasn't just a casual slow built sensation, but more of _oh-my-God-my-lungs-are-burning-hotter-than-the-depths-of-Hell _type of burn. It was uncomfortable and restricting, almost as if someone had thrown a lit match into her lungs. But she couldn't—_wouldn't—_give up. She'd come too far. No matter how much it hurt she vowed to _keep going. _

Finally, after about an hour and a half she collapsed on the sidewalk, wings flung open in an undignified heap. She lay there like a marionette with its strings cut off, chest heaving and cheeks redder than an apple. She was painfully aware of the numerous passerbys staring at her, but she didn't couldn't find it in herself to care.

"Twerp," a fruity voice called.

Opening her tired lids, a blurred figment of pink appeared above her. Exerting the rest of her energy, she blinked a few more times until her scope of vision became focused. Davis stood above her, grinning. "Good job."

Her teacher bent down, gently scooping her up like a pancake.

"How did you know where to find me?" Asuka asked, voice barely above a whisper.

"Your cuffs have a tracker in them."

Asuka rested her eyes as Davis carried her back to the center. She didn't reopen them until a chime was heard overhead and the familiar blast of cool air smacked her, instantly turning the sweat lining her body cold. The corner of her mouth slowly lifted, relishing in the feeling. When Davis put her down softly, Asuka's legs wobbled like jello as they nearly gave out beneath her.

Davis' hand rested on Asuka's shoulder as she slowly, yet carefully told her, "I want you to go take a shower, get changed and then get to work. The shower's around the corner, down the hall and to the left. Everything you need should be in there."

The second her hand left Asuka a warm, fuzzy sensation of revitalization swept over her, filling her with a dose of renewed vigor. With sturdier legs than before, Asuka made her way to the showers. Davis watched her retreating figure, smirking.

Flickering on the lights she cringed, eyes adjusting as she took in her new surroundings. The walls were lined with black granite, the floors tiled a cohesive light gray. There was separate, individualized stalls with their own shower heads peeking above the top. Asuka couldn't help but thank every higher being out there for the fact that her teacher was American, which meant she heavily valued privacy and believed in showering individually. This way there wouldn't be any awkward eye contact or mishaps with other gym members, because fate had a way of entangling Asuka into its affairs.

Turning on the water she waited for it to heat up, standing off to the side and grimacing as she peeled off the clothes that clung to her like a second skin. As soon as the hot water flowed over her naked body it smoothed out her tense and aching muscles. A soft sigh left her lips, wishing she could stay under the water forever.

* * *

"Let me see you make a fist."

Asuka quirked a brow but followed her instructions.

Davis shook her head as she made her way over, "Never close your thumb in your hand, unless you want to break it. Rest it on the bottom like this," she grabbed Asuka's hand, gently moving her thumb into the right position. "Your grip should be tight and comfortable, like this,"

The pinkette's hand tightened into a fist. Asuka copied the action, earning a nod. "Good, now your stance is crucial in generating power. Square up to your opponent in a batting stance, your dominant hand and leg to the back."

As Davis demonstrated, Asuka mimicked her every move, shifting into the proper position.

"Bend your legs a little...perfect! Now, the energy of the punch will start in your feet, traveling up through your legs and hips before tapering off into the muscles in your back, chest and shoulders. It'll then go down your arm and finally into your fist. Using your whole body will give your punch more impact than just using your arm."

Davis then slowly demonstrated the perfect punch, taking her through each motion with exaggerated slowness. Asuka's eyes followed the movements, watching as her teacher initiated the move in her leg, delicately twisting her hips and moving her upper body, hitting the punching bag with the flat of her fingers, just below the knuckles. After following through with the punch, Davis instinctively snapped her arm back to protect her face with a still clenched fist, poised and ready to make another hit. Turquoise eyes filled with amazement as they followed the swinging punching bag. The older woman's lips pulled up into a smirk before gesturing to the bag, "Your turn."

* * *

As the days turned to weeks, and the weeks to months, Asuka began transforming into a whole new person. Her life had quickly fallen into an exciting routine. Wake up, go for a morning run, shower, work, weight training, hand-to-hand combat with Davis or another gym member, shower again, go home. Lather, rinse, and repeat.

The past few months had been taxing, harder than anything she had ever done in both lives. But when she returned home at the end of the night feeling like one giant bruise, sweaty and barely able to walk from fatigue, she felt a sense of purpose. She was finally starting to feel fulfilled, like what she was doing actually mattered. And with careful precision, hard work and dedication she was beginning to reap the rewards. The changes had been gradual, starting with her face that had thinned out just a bit around the cheeks. She'd managed to lose the excessive chubbiness from her childhood and was transitioning into a young teenager. Asuka had also grown a tiny bit taller, her entire body slowly becoming more toned and taut as she gained muscles in her arms, legs and thighs.

But the one thing she always found her eyes scrutinizing were her thighs. Davis called them her thunder thighs and would always chant, "Thick thighs save lives!"

She had no idea what it meant, but it helped to alleviate any feelings of self-consciousness.

Speaking of Davis, their relationship had progressed drastically. It didn't take long for them to figure out they got along like peaches and cream. Beneath the tough exterior her mentor had she was actually a giant softie. Sort of like a demonic crab. Or a burnt marshmallow. Davis had made her run an extra five miles when she'd made those comparisons.

Davis worked the girl near death everyday, but to make up for it she'd reward her with food. It was the quickest way to Asuka's heart.

They always went to the same place every time, an American restaurant named Burgatory—where the burgers are so good you'll die every time! The place had a retro 50s theme, with bright eye-popping colors, checkered floors and cushioned seats. When Asuka had first entered the restaurant it had immediately burned her eyes, leaving her wondering why the place was like the lovechild of Uncle Sam and All Might. But the food was ridiculously good with everything you'd want in a classic American restaurant—almost as big as your face portions, side orders of greasy, cheesy goodness and a display case bigger than herself stuck full of baked goods.

As silly as it sounded Burgatory was a safe space for the duo. Many nights had been spent there with a lively Davis regaling her in another story, as Asuka nodded along, tired beyond belief but happy. It was at Burgatory that Asuka was able to learn more about her teacher, like Davis' passion for knitting. On her weekends off she crafted things specifically for animals and babies. Asuka still wasn't over that confession but had sworn to secrecy, unless she wanted Davis to murder her in her sleep. And in return her teacher learned more about her, from the books she loved to read to the birds that visited her and everything in between.

They had turned it into a game, a warped version of Twenty Questions where instead of focusing on guessing a single thing and asking questions about it, her mentor would pose a question, Asuka would answer, then Asuka would do the same. They'd go back and forth until they grew tired of it and changed the topic to something else. The game only had one rule: No lying.

It allowed them to speak freely and ask anything they wanted without judgement. It also alleviated any pressure associated with discussing one's feelings and heavy matters.

"Why do your injuries heal so quickly?"

The question blindsided her, surprising her as she choked on her burger. After a few coughs and a greedy sip of soda the winged girl looked up at her mentor, "W-What are you talking about?"

Davis lay her head in her open palm, arm propped onto the table as she lazily munched on a french fry, "Don't tell me you haven't noticed it. Yesterday you had that nasty shiner and today it's just...gone. Poof! Do you know someone with a healing Quirk or something?"

Asuka's brows knitted in confusion. She hadn't had time to look in the mirror this morning but she knew she had a black eye because she hadn't been paying attention during their training yesterday and Davis got in the hit. The pain that had exploded behind her skull had been very real. And the darkened skin that became muddled with yellows and purples hadn't been her imagination. Asuka hastily grabbed the napkin dispenser, holding it at eye level as she poked at the skin. She swore under her breath.

Davis was right. The skin was unmarred.

"I-I don't know." Asuka returned the dispenser to its original spot, "My mother's Quirk is healing but she didn't do anything, I swear." A look of pure horror planted itself on her face, "Oh my god, do you think my mother creepily fixes me up in the middle of the night!"

A frown tugged at the older woman's lips as she grabbed another french fry, "You know...this game is no fun if you lie."

"I'm not lying!"

Davis looked unconvinced as she idly dipped another fry in some ketchup, "I don't know...that sounds like something a liar would say."

Asuka fixed her teacher with a look showing how serious she was. "Anyways, it's my turn. What's your first name?"

The corner of her mouth quirked up, "Why? You wanna formally propose? If so you better put the biggest goddamn rock you can find on this finger because I'm no cheap date."

Asuka snorted, "That's why we're in a diner, right?"

The pinkette rolled her eyes, "Zoey."

She smiled, testing it out on her tongue, "Zoey Davis."

Minty eyes narrowed calculatingly, "Why does your English have no accent?"

For the second time that evening Davis' question blindsided her. Her eyes widened as a flash of horrific heat poured over her like molten lava. She could...speak English?

Another look of horror flickered over her features as it clicked, remembering all the times Davis' words had sounded odd to her ears. But when had she slipped into her first world's native tongue?

The harder Davis stared the more suspicious looking she became. She hurriedly spun a lie, blurting out, "I taught myself! I watched a lot of TV as a kid — mostly movies and soap operas. The TV was practically my babysitter."

Davis didn't look convinced, but Asuka ignored her probing eyes.

* * *

Davis had prepared Asuka for countless situations. Being robbed at gunpoint, how to defend yourself against an attack with a knife, what to do if your attacker grabs you from behind and more.

But nothing had prepared her for this.

"Davis-sensei, what're we doing here?"

Davis turned around, bubblegum pink hair swishing with the action. She spread her arms out, smiling, "Today's the day we train your Quirk. And what better place to do it than the beach?"

Asuka fidgeted as she toyed with her short's fabric, not sure how to proceed. Ten years of detached self-loathing came bubbling to the surface. How was she going to demonstrate a Quirk she didn't know how to use?

She took a short intake of air before she responded, her smile wobbly, "T-That sounds great."

Against her will, her wings nervously ruffled the second those minty eyes landed on them. "So what _is_ your Quirk exactly?"

Asuka shrugged, trying to banish any feelings of shame, "My wings — or my feathers, I guess — are regenerative."

The older woman surveyed the teen's stormy bluish-gray appendages, looking unimpressed. Her tongue clucked a steady rhythm, the sound snapped inside Asuka, as if she'd plucked her intestines with a guitar pick. "That's not your Quirk."

She tilted her head. "What?"

"Typically Mutant-type Quirks have a wide variety of features or abilities. And one of those features is almost always some form of regeneration."

She swallowed, the saliva in her mouth felt like knives as it went down her throat. "I'm a mutant?"

The pinkette's face flattened, her tone dripping in sarcasm, "Um, _yeah._ Didn't your school ever teach you this?"

Asuka shook her head, causing Davis to sigh in exasperation.

"Quirks are typically put into three categories, with some being variants. Emitter, Transformation and Mutant. Emitter-types have the ability to either release certain substances or alter materials around them in some way," Asuka couldn't help but think of Bakugou and his explosive hands, "Transformation Quirks are pretty self explanatory, and Mutant Quirks, like yours," Davis pointed to her wings, "are a physical part of the user and are always passively active."

At some point during her explanation, Asuka had begun gripping her hands so hard that her knuckles bulged white. Davis' gaze didn't escape the action.

"Are you sure you don't know what your Quirk is? I mean, weren't you ever curious as a child?" The pinkette turned to look at Asuka, _really _look at her.

It didn't take long for her to start analyzing Asuka, her minty eyes flickering to her student's light ones. Asuka watched silently as her teacher's eyes widened in dismay and realization. "Holy shit you've been in Quirk-denial."

Asuka was the first to break eye contact, looking away as her nails bit into her palms. Searing shame crawled up her neck and onto her face. Hearing it with her own ears only made it worse.

A perfectly sculpted pink brow arched in shock as Davis hit the nail on the head. Taking in the sight of her despondent student forced her to quickly shift gears, a carefully crafted blank look beginning to grace Davis' face. "We'll figure your Quirk out together, I promise."

Robin's shell blue hues were brimming with tears, "But what if we don't figure it out in time?"

Raw determination overtook Davis' features, "We will, so don't sweat it."

Asuka nodded forlornly, wiping her eyes.

Davis continued to watch her before stating in an unexpectedly serious tone of voice, "We all go through Quirk-denial, Asuka. You'll grow out of it, I'm sure. For a while even I hated my Quirk and refused to use it at all costs. But one day I sort of just...woke up, y'know? Like what's the sense in having something but not using it?"

Asuka remained silent.

"But...I just want you to know that when used correctly, Quirks can be a gift. So from here on out I want you to start appreciating it because it's not only meant for you, but for others too. Even on your worst days, when you want nothing more than to be Quirkless and normal, let the ones you're using your Quirk for be your driving force."

Asuka nodded, taking the words to heart.

Clapping her hands loudly to dissipate the seriousness in the air, the older woman pulled a stopwatch out of her pocket. "That brings us to today's lesson, which is all about speed, so don't you dare hold back. Now, I want you to fly from here alllll the way down to the end of the beach and back."

A dark, awkward energy immediately filled the air.

Mint green looked up from the stopwatch, connecting with Asuka's once more. Her brows creased in worry. "You've never used those things before, have you?"

After a few beats Asuka silently admitted, "No."

Pink dusted her cheeks as the shame clawed its way up from her stomach once more.

"Okay," she put away the stopwatch, and clapped loudly, as if it helped to reorganize her thoughts, "Change of plans. Today I'm going to teach you how to fly. As you can see I don't have wings of my own, so hopefully this won't be as big of a clusterfuck as I think it'll be."

Asuka snorted, the dark cloud surrounding her somewhat dissipating.

"Let's get to it Twerp, pop those babies open."

She opened her glossy, carnivorous gray wings.

Davis whistled impressively, "Those are a lot bigger than they look, that's for sure."

Her teacher's face became contemplative as the cogs in her brain shifted, deciding the best course of action. "Considering how large they are, I'm sure they won't have a problem supporting you. _But _you're going to have to maintain good flappage."

Laughter bubbled within her at the word "flappage" but the look Davis gave her shut Asuka up immediately.

Her teacher dipped her head expectantly.

Asuka's tone was unsure, nerves twisting her intestines. "Here goes nothing..."

Each long, narrow feather tensed and shook as she mentally steeled herself.

_You can do this, Asuka! _

They slammed upward. When they came back down in a flash of silver, she was off the ground. It all happened so damn fast…

As Asuka got higher and higher, her eyes became perfect circles of terror. A wave of nausea crashed over her, heart leaping into her throat as her stomach churned from the sight of her teacher becoming smaller and smaller. Asuka couldn't help but feel like a small child riding a bike for the first time. Awkward and unsure of herself mixed with the constant crippling fear of falling. However, unlike a child riding a bike, she wouldn't fall safely on a patch of grass. If Asuka fell from this height she was sure she'd crush just about every bone in her body. Or die.

Davis' eyes glittered with appreciation for those long, streamlined wings. From the moment she saw them she'd been taken aback by their elegance, from their silken gray gleam that resembled mountaintops to their swept back, aerodynamic shape. Undeniably, they were a thing of great beauty. However, the person attached to the wings was less than elegant.

"Jeez, you're as awkward as a teenage boy on prom night!"

Asuka's face erupted in red as she squeaked incredulously, the comment throwing her off. As if someone had tugged a carpet out from underneath her, her balance shifted quickly, wings shuddering as they began slowing down. The teen's stomach flip-flopped as the air beneath her wings vanished. Like a roller coaster set into motion, Asuka's body vaulted down, plummeting to the sandy shoreline. A look of pure terror overcame Davis' face as she screamed her name. Panic seeped into her veins, sending her heart hammering. Asuka sent her neck muscles straining as her head arched back in the path of a downward parabola. The teen's eyes were now open all the way, like someone was prying her eyelids apart. Her attempt to contort her body to a position where she could turn her head to see what was beneath her — if there was anything useful to land on — was futile. She was crashing and burning.

She could now suddenly see her legs. They were rising, her two feet like two kites on her lithe legs, slowly rising out in front of her, and above her head as she continued to plummet in an upside down swan dive. There was her abdomen, splayed out ahead of her. She was unable to make out the edges of her waist because of the fluttering of her t-shirt in the wind, as she fell. Realization had dawned. She could feel nothing under herself. Even the air was nowhere. Her wings were uselessly flapping at her sides, her hands clamoring wildly for non-existent handles.

Asuka, chest tightening, breath speeding, managed to force her eyes shut as her midnight locks whipped around her in a whirlwind, bracing for impact. She was powerless versus gravity; falling.

"—Oof!"

Asuka heaved an eye open, gritting her teeth as she exerted every ounce of energy she had left into sitting up.

She flexed her fingers to check if she was alive. She was, even though she felt like an egg that had been thrown onto the sidewalk — its exterior broken beyond repair as its insides oozed out everywhere.

"_Asuka,_" a voice grit out, "Kindly get your fat ass _off _of me."

Cyan hues rolled down, widening as they recognized Davis. Like a beached whale she noisily heaved herself up, wincing as she straightened out. She offered a hand to the older woman who accepted it with a huff.

"Did you really have to use that comparison?"

A burst of laughter escaped her lips and Asuka turned to her sharply in surprise. Bubblegum brows waggled suggestively, "Oh, you don't get it? You don't know how to use your wings, like the boy in the comparison doesn't know how to use his—"

"No, I get it!" She protested quickly, eyes growing wide with notion and noticeably more flustered.

* * *

For the next five grueling months Asuka continued to train relentlessly, both her body, mind and wings. By the end of those ten months Asuka had metaphorically shed her skin and transformed into a whole new person. What she was physically capable of doing now was something she never would've imagined, not even in her wildest dreams.

It was over those months that her and Davis discovered something huge. Asuka was fast. _Scary _fast. In the beginning she had assumed they'd be fast but they were built for nothing but speed_. _They had taken this discovery and expanded on it — Davis threw her through the wringer, seizing any opportunity to test her speed as she continued to push Asuka past her limits. Asuka didn't have enough fingers to count the number of times her mentor had to carry her home after training.

Despite the leaps and bounds she had made during those ten months of training, they were still unable to figure out Asuka's Quirk. For weeks they'd tried everything: meditations, herbal supplements, extensively researching it, as well as putting Asuka in multiple life-threatening situations in the hopes of triggering it. Every attempt yielded the same results. Asuka hated admitting it, but it was something constantly on her mind. It made her feel incomplete and hopeless, alluding to a niggling fear in the back of her mind that there was no additional feature to her Quirk. But no matter how trying it may be, Asuka's stubbornness wouldn't allow her to give up. She would figure it out, even if it meant she died trying.

* * *

**Next Chapter: **

The boy's ear's tinged a cherry red as he began rubbing the back of his neck, "That was totally on me. I wasn't watching where I was going, which is super unmanly."

* * *

**Author's Note: Whew! My longest chapter yet. Tbh I don't even know where to begin with this one, it's literally going to be all over the place.**

**Asuka's decision to work towards becoming a hero was accumulative. At first Asuka was leery to the idea but as she later grows you can see her mindset develop too. But Asuka is extremely avoidant of problems which is going to bite her in the ass ofc because while she doesn't fear death, she fears getting too attached to others because she believes her time in this world will quickly come to a close like her time as Annabelle did.**

**Asuka's wings are based off of the Peregrine Falcon, which is coincidentally the bird she saved. At the risk of making her sound like a Mary-Sue (which I hope this doesn't, because currently Asuka is still training her body and isn't even close to reaching her maximum potential) Peregrine's can reach speeds exceeding 200 mph, especially when diving.**

**Asuka's Quirk will be revealed in time. I debated on what I should do with her for a while, constantly worrying if I was making her too powerful. But then I realized that not only are there students that can literally make a gigantic ice wall/glacier taking up an entire stadium, that Asuka is essentially ten years behind everyone else. Similarly to Midoriya, she still has to learn how to use it. Right now the only thing she's trained is her body and some of her mind — Davis has unknowingly helped to break down some of Asuka's barriers, taking her out of her hermit's shell and helping her become more outspoken. But of course there's still a lot Asuka has to learn, especially in regards to confidence.**

**That brings me to my next point: For ten years Asuka has regarded her wings as something that annoys her. They make her stand out, which she hates. As it currently stands they're a part _on _her, not a part _of _her. Asuka's isolated childhood (partly because of her own doing) never gave her the chance to properly interact with other kids and normalize her "Quirk." Her mother's dramatic reaction to her wings also didn't help.**

**And finally, some major things were revealed in this chapter! So it wasn't just a mindless training montage haha. I really hope you all like my other OCs, especially Davis. Since before this even started I knew I wanted to give Asuka a badass instructor, someone who was rough and always ready to tumble, yet soft on the inside and extremely patient with a student. I adore writing their interactions, especially questions asked during their games of twenty questions.**

**Next chapter will finally be the entrance exam! I'm super hyped about it.**

**Anyways, a huge thank you to all of you for reading, favoriting and following! And a special thank you to everyone that comments, your reviews fuel me into writing more chapters and they never fail to put a smile on my face.**

**And before I go, I've been dabbling with the idea of adding little pieces of quirky trivia to the end of each chapter, please tell me if you guys like this! Anyways, the trivia for this chapter is: ****Asuka's favorite drink is hot chocolate.**

**That's all!**

**Signing off,**

**Sandafairy**


	5. Evaluation

The Wind Beneath Her Wings

Chapter Five:

Evaluation

* * *

"Asuka. You've got this."

The words came suddenly. The drop in volume spoke of the necessity to keep quiet, and yet the meaning behind those three words would've impacted her just as much had she screamed them from the top of the highest skyscraper.

Asuka had been taking a greedy swig of water when Davis said it. The brutish woman's silky smooth tone of voice saying her name always caught the teen's attention, drew her forth as if she was surfacing from underwater, but this time it felt like she was back on the beachfront, falling from the sky without Davis readily there to snatch her to safety with a hero's smile. This time, Asuka could feel all of her emotions at once, a current of nervousness and satisfaction and determination and a tiny, infinitesimal amount of relief.

Asuka closed her eyes, fingers tapping out a steady rhythm against her thigh as she took in a deep, calming breath to soothe any residual nerves. An unimaginable weight rested on her shoulders, digging into her skin like talons as it reminded her of what trials lay ahead. Even with the seriousness in the air and the roaring pessimistic thoughts her combatant brain conjured, she felt a streak of giddiness shoot through her chest, her heart thudding with excitement — and dare she say hopefulness — for what today would bring. It was the start of something new—something brimming with uncharted territory that left Asuka feeling fulfilled, yet fearful. Her sense of fulfillment came from her new lease on life and the choices she had made thus far to move into this new direction, but those feelings were quickly encumbered by the dark, lingering thoughts in the back of her mind that reminded her of the unknown and the very real possibility of failure.

Because, even though Asuka knew that she was the captain in charge of sailing her own ship, she was still crossing the seas without a compass, map or stars.

But this was a journey she was ready to embark on.

Exhaling, Asuka opened her eyes, fingers ceasing their measured drumming as her instructor stood there, stance uncharacteristically anxious as a cheesy grin plastered itself on her lips, fingers toying with an eye-searing neon pink scrunchie. Her inquisitive gaze landed on the abominable piece of fabric in her teacher's palm—the color itself was the embodiment of Davis: bright, loud and in-your-face. It contrasted greatly with Asuka's usual color palette—soft and airy pastels—but she quickly found herself reaching for it, her expression one of puzzlement.

The pinkette chuckled under her breath, "I know it's not much," her grin quickly became sheepish as she wrung her hands together, "But I wanted you to know that when you're out there, I'm with you every step of the way. And I know it's not something you'd usually wear, so if you don't like it, you don't have to wear it and—"

"I love it."

For once Davis wasn't mad at the interruption, because all it took was a single look from Asuka—who's eyes watered with genuine, unfiltered love and gratitude—for Davis' anxiety to evaporate, her grin broadening as she watched her student collect her mass of glossy, ink-toned hair into her hand before tying the scrunchie around it. Creases appeared in the corner of her eyes, lips breaking into a megawatt smile, "It'll be my good luck charm."

Davis unabashedly threw herself at her pupil, causing Asuka to fall forward, nearly tripping over her feet as she became caged within Davis' arms. Davis let the winged teen lie on her chest as she rubbed small, soothing circles into Asuka's back, the noirette's shoulders sagging in relief. Asuka felt her lower lip jut out, and had the embarrassing feeling that she was about to cry.

The older woman held her student for a few more seconds before finally holding her out at arm's length, hands on her shoulders as she instructed, "This exam will test you on your ability to adapt, so if you find yourself in a bind keep a cool head and _think _it _through. _Once you're out there it's going to be overwhelming, so for the love of God, don't forget to _breathe._"

She nodded solemnly, committing her words to heart as her teacher pulled her in for another hug.

"Asuka?"

"Hmm?"

"Whether you win or lose you'll always be a hero in my book."

"Thank you," she said, in not much more than a whisper, but Davis could feel the intense authenticity of emotion behind those words.

Separating once more, Davis' hands rose up to pull at Asuka's hair, tightening it further into place as she smirked, "Now get out of here Twerp, I don't want you missing your train."

* * *

Her feet pounded against the busy sidewalk, a tendril of panic spiraling up from her abdomen as she hurriedly weaved through the waves of disgruntled businessmen on their way to work. A bubble of brown liquid—coffee, by the looks of it—floated freely off to the side, controlled by someone's Quirk as Asuka pivoted around it, limboing to narrowly avoid the drink that would surely stain her clothes and scald her skin.

_I'm gonna be late! _

Turquoise eyes snapped to the towering building off in the distance, the influx of students pouring into it's wide-open, arched gate made her grit her teeth, feet quickly picking up their pace. Being late on the day of the entrance exam spelt trouble with a capital T, and if her ass wasn't at that entrance in five minutes they'd shut the doors in her face, ending her entire superhero career in one fell swoop.

A woman walking on the sidewalk alongside her small child shot Asuka a disapproving look, pushing her child away to avoid a potential collision. Hurtling past, her ears picked up on the woman's light grumbles, something along the lines of "these kids these days" and "lacking respect."

The winged teen looked over her shoulder, shouting, "Sorry ma'am, but I—_oof!" _

The air was vacuum sucked from her lungs as her entire body smacked against something solid. Landing roughly on her behind, Asuka rubbed her head, lightly cursing at the pain that was beginning to blossom.

"Are you okay?" The voice that spoke to her was deeply masculine and sounded extremely concerned for her well-being, but Asuka's brain was too fixated on its pleasing tone to find a proper response — which she blamed on possible brain damage from the collision — because it was richer than the finest chocolate, with carefully woven undertones of light fruitiness.

She had never heard anything like it before.

Pulling herself from her daze, Asuka peered up to the towering figure leaning over her. Her eyes quickly roamed his features, taking in his candy apple red eyes with a small scar above the right one, all the way to his pitch black, almost shoulder-length hair. He offered her a hand, his lips curving up into an unsure smile as he brandished razor-sharp teeth akin to a shark. Asuka couldn't help but feel a pinch intimidated, finding the boy's appearance somewhat menacing. But nonetheless she accepted his hand, encircling hers around his. As he hoisted her off the ground with ease, she couldn't help but notice how rough the sharp-toothed boy's hand was against hers. That, along with the few calluses along his fingers, was indicative of months spent training.

_No wonder running into him felt like a brick wall. _

Now back on her feet, Asuka's cheeks burned bright with embarrassment as she hastily swept a hand across the backside of her skirt, wiping away any lingering dirt as she apologized, "I'm so sorry about that, by the way! I almost ran into this lady and her kid on the sidewalk because I'm in such a hurry to get to my exam, and I got super careless. And when I turned to apologize to her, I—um, ran into you, which I guess you knew already. So I don't really know why I'm still talking, but I think I should shut up now!"

The boy watched her nervously fumble her way through an explanation, her cheeks burning brighter the longer she rambled. When she finally finished and her deep-set eyes focused on him, cherry red tinged the tips of his ears—his turn to be embarrassed as a hand kneaded the back of his neck, "Don't worry about it, that was totally on me! I wasn't watching where I was going, which is super unmanly."

Asuka hummed to herself, glad the sturdy boy was a kind one despite his thuggish appearance. "Right, well..." her eyes flickered down to the watch on her wrist, heart lurching as she noticed the time, "Sorry, but I've gotta go! My exam starts in three minutes!"

He shouted after her, "Wait!"

But it was too late, she had already bolted towards the school, unaware that he was going in the same direction.

* * *

_This school is freaking huge! _

Appraising eyes bounced around, mouth agape as her head swiveled in every direction, drinking in the school's copious details. Shoals of potential students filtered into the school's meticulous courtyard, Asuka among the jittery crowd. It was painfully obvious why U.A. was one of the most sought after high schools in Japan—it's ready-to-go atmosphere instantly drew you in, filling you with a sense of worthiness that promised only good things to come. The second Asuka stepped foot onto the campus, she'd been instantly smitten, completely mystified and in utter awe of what U.A. had to offer.

The crowd thinned as students were ushered into an auditorium, filing in steadily as they packed themselves in like a can of sardines. Mindful of the close proximity, Asuka drew in her wings, but still found herself bumping into others. Trying to ignore the hulking figure of a girl with saber-toothed fangs poking out of her mouth that was _too _close for comfort, Asuka turned her attention to her surroundings, swiftly surveying the auditorium from its expansive wooden stage all the way up to the luminous lights overhead, that shone down on the hundreds of pews brimming with students of all shapes, sizes and colors.

"K-Kamiya-san?"

Peering around a boy built like a vending machine on legs, Asuka instantly recognized that head of leafy green. "Midoriya-kun!" she called, shimmying her way through the herds of students, apologizing profusely as some fixed her with a glare.

Peony lips grinned broadly, happiness radiating from her as she neared the boy, "It's so good to see you. You look so different!"

It would've been unnoticeable for others, but to her trained eye it was apparent that she hadn't been the only one that spent the past ten months training hard. The first thing she noticed was Midoriya's face. It was lacking its usual plushiness, now slimmer and more defined, just like his body if the toned arms beneath the layers of his uniform was any indication. And just like her, he had grown about an inch or two.

The shy boy erupted in red, eyes diving to the side as he scratched his freckled cheek, "The same could be said for you, I almost didn't recognize you. N-Not that it's a bad thing! I just meant—!"

A sharp voice cut in, sneering, "Will you nerds shut your traps? Your yapping is making my ears ring!"

And just like that, the metaphorical rug beneath her feet was ripped away from her, the pleasant atmosphere being torn to shreds as that deeply familiar, rumbling voice instantly settled beneath her skin. Asuka's blood pressure rose at the mere thought of him. She'd be lying to herself if she said she was surprised, but Asuka knew better, because wherever Midoriya was Bakugou was sure to follow.

As they took their seats, Asuka let Midoriya be the buffer, sitting between her and the explosive blonde.

Peering past Midoriya, her eyes connected with vehement vermillion, the corners of her lips quirking up tauntingly, "What's the matter grandpa, did that Quirk of yours finally rupture your eardrums?"

Midoriya had the decency to look affronted by her comment, but Bakugou's eyebrow twitched, mouth opening to deliver a scathing remark when a sudden voice boomed out, "Welcome to today's live performance!"

The lights above flickered off as a single spotlight moved to the stage, the droves of students quieting down as their attention focused on a lanky man with gravity defying banana blonde hair. He shouted out something quirky, wanting the students to repeat it back to him in an attempt to hype up the crowd. He was met with a heavy, awkward silence. Undeterred the man moved on, shouting jovially, "I'm here to present the guidelines of your practical! Are you ready?"

Three gigantic projectors rolled down, animations popping to life on them. Beside her, words began to rapidly leave Midoriya's mouth as he became giddy, fanboying over the instructor, who she now knew was a man named Present Mic. She'd never heard of him, which wasn't that much of a surprise considering how she was raised, but it sounded like Midoriya knew the man's whole life story. Bakugou grumbled beside him, urging the smaller boy to shut up.

As the man's booming voice explained the exam, along with the very long-winded and tedious instructions, Asuka looked down at the paper she'd been given earlier. In bolded black letters it stated: Battle Center C. She peered over at Midoriya's, who was being assigned to B.

"They're splitting us up." Midoriya noted with a distressed undertone.

"Damn," Bakugou sighed in irritation, fist crunching up the paper in his hand, "I was looking forward to crushing both of you."

Midoriya whimpered.

Asuka glared.

"Alright, alright! Let's check out your targets!" An urban city scene appeared on the center screen, the other two filling up with images of giant mechanical robots. Asuka squinted at the darkened outlines with point values above them, listening with half an ear as Present Mic continued providing a detailed explanation of the rules, the way the point system worked and how they'd be evaluated.

Drumming her fingers to a steady beat she thought, _Alright... seems straightforward enough. I just need to take out as many robots as I can. Shouldn't be too hard... right? _

"Are you ready to go beyond? Let's hear a Plus Ultra!"

* * *

Like moths to a flame, the crowd gathered before Battle Center C's gigantic metal doors.

A frigid breeze rolled through the area, the cold air like a thousand tiny pin-prick needles as it tousled her hair to and fro, a heavy tremor running throughout her wings as she cursed softly. Goosebumps rippled across the expanse of her skin, immediately putting every hair on her arms on edge, but Asuka pushed down any feelings of discomfort as she surveyed the clusters of students. They'd become deathly silent, no doubt becoming lost in their own heads. Following their lead, Asuka cleared her mind's slate, honing in on Davis' advice to breathe. She inhaled deeply, her lungs greedily filling up with the crisp air, before slowly expelling it, her eyes trailing after the puffs of vapor wisping away.

This was it.

Like a parachute ready to deploy, she unfurled her ashen wings. As she carefully went through the motions of her routine stretches, Asuka couldn't escape the feeling of everyone's abuzz nerves—the jittery atmosphere was enough to turn her stomach.

Rotating her shoulder as she stretched out her arm, a disarming thought smacked her, _How am I going to take down one of these robots? _

All at once, anxious thoughts began to swarm her brain like a nasty beehive, _I'm basically Quirkless competing against kids that've been training theirs for the past ten years. What the hell am I thinking? This is such a bad idea, maybe I should just turn around now—maybe go up to an instructor and tell them I'd like to drop out? God, that'd be so embarrassing, can you even imagine? I'm going to be known as the winged freak that dropped out the exam before it even began!_

As her breath began coming in quick little pants, Davis' voice came kicking to the surface, instructing her to breathe just like she had this morning. The teen pictured her instructor, arms crossed tightly over her chest, bubblegum brows scrunched down in irritation as her mouth set into a frown of disapproval. There wasn't a single doubt in Asuka's mind that if Davis could see her now she'd smack the back of her head, berating her for allowing herself to feel an ounce of self doubt. She'd then go on to tell her that she could do it, and if she didn't, she'd beat her ass and quadruple her laps.

The hand at her side tightened into a fist as she banished those lingering thoughts back into their dank crevices. She began mentally steeling herself, the cogs of her brain whirring to life as she combed through her brain's memory files for anything useful that could possibly help her in the exam. Picking apart lessons learned during her copious training sessions, a sudden idea struck her.

Nearly a year ago, during one of her very first workouts, Davis had explained something vital to her. The prickly pearish woman had stated, _Your legs are your most powerful weapon. Women have an easier time amassing lower body strength, thanks to our anatomical structures. So when in doubt, use them gams! _

She silently thanked her wacky instructor, vowing to make the woman proud.

"Alrighty listeners!" Present Mic's booming voice trilled, "The exam is about to begin! So on your mark, get set, go!"

As the siren's blare ripped through the sky, everyone took off. Like Black Friday shoppers ready to tear someone's head off for the last flat screen TV, the crowd surged past the metal doors with an acute sense of urgency. Asuka's wings arched up to their full length before slicing down, shooting her off the ground and over the brazen crowd. Some shouted indignantly as she passed, picking up their own pace in an attempt to pass her. Deftly swerving around a boy riding a sandstorm, she dove around a nearby corner, flying into a student-free side street. She squinted, gaze honing in on a towering olive green machine with the number three crudely painted on the side.

Davis' voice bounced around her brain, shouting, _"Use them gams!" _

She inwardly laughed, thinking, _Here goes nothing. _

Asuka tore through the air in a flurry, gliding around its grabbing mechanical arms with ease, before diving feet-first into its side. She then propelled off the mechanical beast, kicking back into the air as her oceanic eyes following the movement as it swayed, until finally toppling over from her force, smashing against the street into a thousand tiny pieces. As gray smoke billowed from the defeated machine, she continued to stare at it, completely awed by what she had just done, _Holy shit, I did it...I actually did it!_

The thrill of victory propelled her forward, Asuka's powerful wings taking her up higher than before. Scanning the streets below, her eyebrows furrowed down as she squinted, zeroing in on a small cluster. The corner of her lip lifted up into a smirk, eager to finally put her training to the test as she quickly shifted her pewter appendages, rocketing towards the robots in a swan dive. In the blink of an eye she was on them, colliding with the sturdy metal beneath her soles. She swiftly bounced from one to the other, delivering a final blow with a roundhouse kick. Astute eyes swept over the broken machines, mentally calculating the points she'd managed to accumulate. So far she had seventeen points. The teen grinned, adrenaline mixed with a healthy dose of confidence now fully pumping its way into her bloodstream. In a flurry of feathers she took off, hungry for more points as a bubble of excitement settled in her chest, rising up to elicit a carefree laugh.

If someone would've told her a year ago that'd she'd be competing for a spot in U.A., she would've laughed. If that same person would've told her she was actually doing a decent job, she would've thought they were crazy. Delirious, even. But here she was, crushing robots beneath her feet like a human wrecking ball. The exam was like playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse, but watching as the giant machines fell to their deaths, Asuka couldn't help the smile that nearly split her face in two. As she admired her work, a foreign feeling of tingly warmth spread throughout her chest, an emotion Asuka hadn't felt in a long time: pride. And it was all because _she _had done that. Ten months ago Asuka wouldn't have been capable of making it past those metal gates, let alone even _think _about taking one of these monstrosities down. Hell, five months ago she wasn't even able to pick herself off the ground. This exam was a testament to how far she'd come and it was all strangely euphoric.

In the midst of racking up more points, Asuka had slowly begun moving towards the center of the city. Numerous piles of broken machinery coated the streets, plumes of smoke covering the sky in a thick, dark blanket. Asuka's eyes prickled as a gust of it swarmed her, lingering like a bad attitude. As she proceeded to hack up a lung, the buildings around her began to shake, shuddering from something unfathomably large. Her head whipped towards the middle of the city where a mechanical beast emerged, three times the size of the other robots. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, watching in horror as it moved agonizingly slow, deliberately crunching the sides of nearby buildings in its mechanical fists. Methodically, with an intellect unlike the other mindless drones, it raised a fist before sending it crashing into the street. Screams of pure, unadulterated terror rang out as powerful gusts of dirt and debris flew past the other students. They quickly scattered, turning on their heels and practically trampling each other as they desperately tried to put as much distance between them and the robot. Asuka watched helplessly, eyes flickering from student to student until an ear-splitting, gut wrenchingly girlish scream cut through the air.

The 0-point bot grabbed the corner of a nearby skyscraper, purposefully tearing apart the building's structural integrity as it prepared to let the gigantic hunk of building fall to the streets below. Asuka followed the robot's actions, her gaze swinging down to see where the building would land—but her heart stopped short when she saw that directly beneath the crumbling building's path was a girl.

Droves of students continued to run past her, looking over their shoulders with faces contorted in pity as they continued fleeing. Asuka's heart, which had officially stopped pumping, rocketed into her stomach like a stone thrown down a well. A wave of nausea washed over her as she realized that she was up too high and the girl was too far.

She was up _too high_ and the girl was _too far._

She was up _**too high**_ and the girl was _**too far.**_

Ice filled her lungs, making it impossible to breathe as that innately overpowering, maternal feeling began to rise from the pit of her stomach, just like it had a year ago. But this time it was more intense, the feeling akin to a volcano in its last moments before it finally erupted.

But she was still too far...too far...

And just like it had with Midoriya, the feeling consumed her, making Asuka hurl caution to the wind as the girl on the street below shrieking for help became her main priority. But that didn't stop the dread that thrummed through her veins, branching out as her panicky brain finally snapped back to reality, watching the rapidly falling hunk of skyscraper. She wasn't sure if she'd make it — in fact, a decent portion of her brain screamed at her that she wouldn't — but Asuka knew there wasn't any time left to dissect the situation. Angling back her wings she plunged down, shooting towards the city's street like a bullet. The wind whistled sharply past her ears, tossing her hair in an inky mess around her as determined turquoise eyes began to water.

_I'm not gonna make it, I'm not gonna make it! _

Fear encased her heart like wrapping paper as panic began coloring every fiber of her being. Her heartbeat thrummed like an ancient war drum as she felt each electrifying pulse with a _bum, bum, bum. _

As the distance began rapidly closing Asuka sucked in a harrowing breath, reaching out with a single hand until the tips of her fingers pinched at fabric. Her arm encircled around a waist as she deftly shifted her entire body, twisting at the last second.

That's when it happened.

All too fast and painfully slow, just like it had fifteen years ago.

The building hurtled towards the ground, crashing into it like a meteorite. Hellishly dark plumes of smoke erupted in its wake, shooting up into the air as it obscured the onlookers' vision. Pocketfuls of students had stopped running, turning as they watched the horrific scene unfolding in front of them. With backs ramrod straight, their eyes filled with horror as some began to cry and tremble, while a few others looked on with morbid curiosity.

She'd been too late.

A single wobbly voice filled with sorrow and disbelief whispered, "A-Are they dead?"

The throng of teens stilled, their voices steadily rising like the beat of a drum as they began throwing around speculations. As they clamored amongst themselves, young minds still traumatized and processing what they had just witnessed, someone called out—

"Look!"

Heads spun as the smoke began to settle. Standing in the middle of the crater was the winged teen, and like a lighthouse, she was a beacon of light that parted the smoke. She stood on legs of jello, colossal wings arched protectively above her and the girl. Gasps rang out amongst the crowd, lips rapidly moving in a cacophony of confusion as the students took in Asuka's appearance.

All across her wings was a soft, tantalizingly bright, whitish light.

As the ringing in her ears began to die down, a discordance of noises flooded her eardrums in a gigantic, muddled mess. The sounds entering her ears were muffled and indistinct, almost as if she were hearing them through a filter. With the last bit of strength she had, Asuka rolled open her eyelids, taking in the scene before her. Beneath her, curled up in a ball at her feet was a ginger-haired girl, her trembling hands bracing her head as fat tears streamed from her eyes, streaking her blotchy red cheeks. Lethargically, she surveyed the damage, taking in the remains of rubble and broken glass that scattered around them in an almost perfect circle. None of it had even come close to them.

_How the hell are we alive? _

She shouldn't be alive right now, that much was painfully obvious. At the very least she should be curled up on the ground in excruciating pain as the building pinned her down, effectively paralyzing her. But speaking of pain, she wasn't in any. This wasn't what she had expected. _At all. _She expected to have been crushed by the building like one might crush a pesky fly. But right now, all she was feeling was an overwhelming warmth that while strangely foreign, was not uncomfortable. In fact, her entire body strangely felt electric. It was... invigorating. If she had to describe it, it was similar to the feeling she'd gotten on her fourth birthday when she'd first gotten her wings. It still prickled at her nerves, and she was hyper aware of the flow of energy through her body, but it felt more like she had Red Bull flowing through her veins.

Lazy eyes flickered above them, fully expecting an All Might-esque hero to have stepped in at the last second to save them.

Her breath caught in her throat, nearly choking on her own tongue as she was met with a pair of brightly lit wings. _Her _brightly lit wings. The noirette was falling into a panic-induced stupor, her brain short circuiting from the plethora of thoughts attacking her from every angle. It didn't take long for her body to finally gave out, her entire weight tugging forcefully down to the pavement. There was the recoil of her body hitting solid ground, her entire being held still by forces beyond her control as Asuka's eyes slipped closed, the light of her wings dying out like a blown candle.

The last thing her ears picked up, besides the crying girl next to her, was a shout of, "We need a medic!"

* * *

The first thing to come back to her was sound. Glorious, glorious sound. And unlike before there was no distortion, her ears back to normal as she picked up on everything with an acute clarity.

A feminine voice that could only be described as grandmotherly floating through the air, making her ears perk up, "Never in all my years has a student almost died during an entrance exam."

Another voice quickly intercepted, somewhat mechanical with an underlying western accent, "Things didn't go according to plan. Students were instructed to not engage with the Executor bot, but it seems like the thing got carried away."

"And Principal Nezu allowed this?"

"It was his idea."

The first voice scoffed, muttering some unwavering things, such as this Nezu character being a "deranged wing-bat."

Continuing to listen in with half an ear, Asuka's head rotated to take in her surroundings. Fluorescent lights cast the world in white, shining down to make the scratchy, snow white linens covering her pop. Surveying the other beds, along with the numerous glass containers full of medical supplies lining the counters and cabinets, Asuka deduced that she was still at the school. And by the looks of it, she was in the nurse's office, which would explain the sanitary, antiseptic smell that reminded her of a hospital.

"You should return to the others, Snipe. After all, you've got a bit of damage control to sort through."

The man, now known as Snipe, heaved a long sigh, "Don't remind me."

As the door softly clicked behind him, the woman cleared her throat, "I know you're awake."

The curtain drew back with a flourish.

_She's so tiny_. Asuka's gaze swept over the older woman standing proudly before her, one gloved hand settling into her lab coat, the other resting on a cane designed like a syringe.

"How'd you know?" she blurted, cheeks aflame with the embarrassment of being caught eavesdropping.

"It's a part of the job," the corner of her mouth quirked up mischievously, "Now, onto business. It appears you've sustained no serious injuries, not even internal bleeding, which is a miracle considering what happened. Just Quirk-induced exhaustion."

Asuka balked, "What? B-But I could've sworn—"

The diminutive nurse peered closely at Asuka beneath her visor, the look on her face dared her to question the older woman's diagnosis. As Asuka fell silent, the woman explained, "That solid Quirk of yours saved your life, even if it did give some of the proctors quite the scare. They all thought you were done for, myself included when I first heard about what happened."

A flash of bright wings came to her mind.

"What did happen, exactly? All I remember is a girl and then...lights out for me." It was a complete and utter lie, because Asuka knew what happened — _hell_, you don't experience something like that and just forget — but she was internally spiraling, grappling to make heads or tails of the situation. A sigh escaped the confines of her lips as she rubbed her eyelids in a soothing circular motion, a killer headache tickling the underside of her brain.

The older woman sighed, "From what I've been told, the bot miscalculated. The building it hit was not meant to be in the direct path of any students, just close enough to spur a reaction. But by the time the teacher proctoring the exam had a full understanding of the situation, it was too late. He wasn't quick enough." The nurse fixed Asuka with a stern look, causing her to still as she finished, "However, _you_ were."

Lively gimlet eyes gauged her reaction, but Asuka remained perfectly still, not knowing what to do or say. She felt like someone had just thrown her into a frozen lake without a life jacket—disorientingly numb.

Asuka was the first to look away, voice wavering ever so slightly as she asked, "W-What did my Quirk do, exactly?"

Recovery Girl raised a fine gray brow, the wrinkles around her mouth tugging down as she frowned deeply. Perplexed, yet secretly curious, she revealed, "It allowed the building to roll off of you like water."

Ashen wings subconsciously twitched in surprise, a movement that did not escape the nurse's notice. Nerves were beginning to settle like needles in her stomach, poking and prodding at her insides as they promised incoming nausea. With a tight-set jaw, and eyes fixated on a container loaded with bandaids, she slowly inquired, "Right...so, am I free to go?"

The diminutive woman nodded, stepping to the side to allow Asuka to pass. Jerkily, she gathered herself, collecting every ounce of willpower needed to not fling the itchy blanket off of herself and bolt out of the room. She was desperately attempting to come off as cool, casual and collected even though internally she was freaking out.

_My Quirk did...what?! This doesn't make any sense, I shouldn't even be here right now—_

"A word of advice dear..." Asuka looked over her shoulder, their eyes locking as the nurse's face turned serious, "Don't set yourself on fire to keep others warm."

Pausing at the door, she mulled over the woman's words, trying to dissect the meaning behind it but she eventually came up short, her brain too addled to focus right now. Nonetheless she nodded, swallowing the advice like a billy goat despite her stomach wanting to expel its contents.

Shutting the door behind her with a soft _click_, Asuka made it two steps before her hand shot out to the nearby wall, nearly tripping over her own two feet as a pang of pain coursed through her insides. A spell of lightheadedness washed over her as the weight of the world settled on her shoulders, but Asuka stubbornly pushed through it, gritting her teeth as she practically hobbled down the never-ending hallway. She could have her mental breakdown later, because right now she needed Davis.

Tired eyes scrutinized the vast hallway, a pained groan fleeing her mouth as Asuka's guts continued to twist—her insides felt like spaghetti going through a garbage disposal. It didn't help that she didn't know which way the exit was. Looking towards a nearby window she contemplated if jumping out of it would lower her chances of being accepted, but eventually decided against it due to her current mental state.

_This place is too damn big. _

Rounding a nearby corner with a palm still scraping against the wall, Asuka's ears picked up on rhythmic footfalls, heavy and scuffing as they danced through the air. Ignoring it, the winged teen trudged on as a sharp gasp sounded, the footfalls immediately ceasing. Head rotating up in confusion, oceanic hues widened as a flurry of orange barreled towards her.

_Oh no. _

Asuka's mouth dropped open as the clementine-haired girl from the exam unabashedly threw herself at her, rending her immobile with arms thrown around her neck. The noirette squeaked, nearly falling over from the forceful impact. Suppressing another groan as the dizziness worsened, Asuka's back stiffened from the unexpected contact, hands raising to awkwardly pat the girl's back.

Her assailant was the first to pull back, beautiful teal hues brimming with tears as she choked out, "What you did back there...I seriously can't thank you enough! I thought for sure I was a goner but you appeared out of thin air and—" her voice cracked like a prepubescent teenage boy, "—you saved my life."

Those teal eyes — filled with an overwhelming warmth and adoration directed towards _her_ — were starting to make her feel uncomfortable. Scratching her cheek as a prickly heat slipped down her back, Asuka awkwardly shrugged, eyes darting off to the side as she muttered, "It was nothing."

Except it was something. It was _everything. _

A smile softer then kittens graced the girl's lips, "I'm Kendo Itsuka—but you can call me Itsuka. You're Kamiya Asuka, right?"

Asuka made a small noise of surprise in the back of her throat, glancing down to the hand extending towards her and back up to the soft-eyed student.

Deciding it was rude to not take her hand, Asuka reached out, firmly shaking as Kendo happily relayed, "Everybody's talking about you, you know. Apparently nothing like this happened in any of the other battle centers."

"Great." Asuka was unable to keep the irritation from seeping into her tone. "You can call me Kamiya, by the way."

Choosing to ignore the wilted look on the girl's face that secretly snapped some of Asuka's heartstrings, she focused her attention on this troublesome situation. People were talking about her, the girl that shouldn't be here right now. She'd been reckless, diving headfirst without checking how deep the water was, and could've — _should've — _drowned. But Asuka couldn't find it in herself to care. The only regret she had was making such a spectacle of herself, but if given the chance she'd do it all over again. Because Asuka knew what it was like to die. She had lived her last seconds agonizingly alone, and if she could save someone else from that fate, even at the cost of her own life, she would.

"—although I can't help but think I might've been able to deflect some of the damage, considering how large my hands can become but I was just so frozen in fear. But your Quirk, which is so cool by the way—"

Kendo was nervously rambling, her hands gesticulating wildly through the air as she spoke. Having missed the first half of her speech, Asuka was unsure of what she was talking about and knew it was too late to ask, so she nodded politely and smiled.

When the clementine-haired girl finally wound down, Asuka asked, "Kendo, would you mind saving me by getting me out of this school?"

She blinked. Twice. Thrice. A thunderous guffaw left her mouth as Asuka's cheesy joke landed. "Of course! That won't be a problem at all. It didn't even cross my mind how terrible you must be feeling and I've been taking up so much of your time—I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay, I feel fine—really! I'm just tired is all. I totally wouldn't turn down sleeping for the next hundred years." Asuka hurriedly assured, whipping up a half-assed lie to soothe Kendo's worries.

Snaking her arm around Asuka's, the girl's lips pulled up into a smile, "Come on, the exit's this way."

* * *

"So let me get this straight_,_" she closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose, "You're telling me that a giant piece of fucking building — knocked over by a _robot_, I might add — came crashing down and you decided to be some hotshot, cool-guy just to save this girl?"

"Uhh...sort of?"

"Are you out of your goddamn mind!"

Asuka bit the inside of her cheek to stifle a grimace.

"I'm extremely proud of you for finding out some more about your Quirk," Davis paced back and forth on the gym mats, gesticulating wildly before she carded a hand through her cotton candy locks, huffing, "But I'm more pissed about _how_ you found out about it."

Davis stilled, fist lunging out to target Asuka's arm, the teen hissing as it landed, "You can't be doing stupid stuff like this you twerp, you'll wind up getting yourself killed! And then where will I be? Without someone to mop up my floors, that's where!"

Silvery wings shook from the restraint it took to not laugh.

Suddenly, Davis' arms shot out, causing Asuka to cringe once more until she found them encircling her in a warm embrace, instead of hitting her like she thought they would. The pinkette laid her cheek atop the teen's head, lips smushing outward like a fish as she said, "I love you."

Asuka hummed pleasantly, "I know." Davis pinched her, making her yelp, "_Fine!_ I love you too, even if you are abusive."

* * *

"Asuka, there's a letter here for you!"

The teen skidded into the kitchen, nearly colliding with the fridge in her haste. Hungrily swiping the letter from her mother's outstretched hand, excited eggshell eyes flickered down to the waxed seal proudly presenting U.A.'s notorious emblem.

Giddiness bubbled within her like a shaken soda, threatening to overflow and spill everywhere. She bid her mother a quick goodbye, "Thanks mom, love you, bye!"

Charging back into her room like a wild animal, Asuka dashed over to her bedroom window, stuffing the letter between her teeth as she flung it open. Squeezing through, she stood on the fire escape ladder, spreading her wings before soaring up to the apartment complex's rooftop. She found her usual spot, nestling in as she crossed her legs, the pad of her index finger sinfully scraping along the edge of the envelope. Unable to wait any longer the teen anxiously tore into the snow white envelope, destroying it in her haste. A small, circular metallic object fell out, rolling off her lap and onto the rooftop with a _clink. _A holographic screen burst to life, stretching out to expand its bright light.

A hulking figure, beautifully blonde and imposing appeared on screen with a loud declaration, "This is a projection! There's much to be said, so please pay close attention!"

With a flourish, the world's number one hero waved an arm the size of a tree trunk, directing her attention to a drop down projector's screen. He dramatically clicked the remote, the image now filling the screen was fuzzy and distorted, before quickly sharpening. The clip played, the camera following a horde of frenzied-looking students as they ran away from the 0-point bot. Asuka swallowed nervously, eyes glued to the screen as it focused on an orange-haired girl — Kendo, she realized with a start — nearly tripping over herself as she scrambled to get away. The gigantic bot raised it's long metallic arm, cleanly slashing the side of the building in one swoop. The camera panned out, following the piece as it hurtled towards the ground. It zoomed out once more, focusing on an almost imperceptible flurrying movement—_her. _

Robin's egg blues widened in horror, unable to look away as she watched her figure become blurred, flashing across the screen in the blink of an eye. She was plunging down, _way _down as she dive-bombed towards the streets below. Breath hitching in her throat, she leaned in close, watching the flicker of movement that was undeniably _her _narrowly soar under the gigantic slab of building, an enormous plume of smoke shooting up in its wake. The dark cloud of smoke overtook the scene, blanketing the city's street as onlookers shielding themselves from it, coughing as they did so.

Asuka released a breath she didn't know she was holding in, her wings ruffling in anticipation. By now her tongue felt like lead in her mouth, making it hard to swallow. It was a miracle her and Kendo were alive.

In the moment everything had happened so fast, like one gigantic blur, but having the opportunity to step back and watch it in real time was incredibly surreal. It threw Asuka into a perpetual loop, the footage leaving her astonished and unable to believe what she was seeing. It was incomprehensible and despite what her eyes were witnessing, her brain refused to believe it. The winged teen now understood why so many kids had thought she died. The footage she'd watched was like watching a bug being squashed by a giant shoe—completely inescapable.

"Here at U.A. we don't condone such risks! And committing such an act would usually result in an automatic failure. But another fundamental way for U.A. to evaluate its students is by factoring rescue points." All Might paused dramatically, pearly white teeth exposed as he brandished his signature smile, "Sixty-five points for Asuka Kamiya!"

_Wait...does that mean? _

A brightly lit scoreboard took over the screen, displaying the examination results of the top ten. Raking over the names her gaze landed on hers, her body quickly growing stiff. There was a minute of silence, perhaps more, before Asuka spluttered when she realized that not only was she in the top ten — seriously, how the _hell _did that happen? — she was third.

Her eyes bulged out of her head as she brought a hand to her quivering lips, her gaze shooting to the names above her. Katsuki Bakugou. Shoulders tensing, because _of course _he'd be in first, she scanned the other name above her, Eijiro Kirishima—who'd beaten her by four points.

_Holy_—

The screen flashed back to the bulky blonde, his aura demanding attention as he stood confidently with hands on his hips. His smile broadened, positively beaming as he tightened a colossal fist, "Come now Kamiya, and allow U.A. to become your hero academy!"

Fat, salty tears welled up in her eyes, obscuring her vision as a slow, wobbly smile settled on her lips. Looking back at the projection, her name now blurred but somehow still discernible, she thought, _I actually did it._

* * *

_Why does this place have to be such a freaking maze! _

After spending the past ten minutes trekking down never-ending hallways, only to find out that she was on the wrong floor, Asuka was ready to rip her hair out. A kind upperclassman noticed her distress from a mile away and had thankfully taken pity on her, instructing her to where class 1-A of the Heroics Division was with a pointed cloven hoof. Asuka threw her an appreciative nod, thanking her as she closely followed the directions. Gaze landing on her destination, her jaw swung open, gaping at the sheer size of the door.

Asuka tugged at a pesky strand of hair, stuffing it into her lurid scrunchie as she wondered what lay behind the door. In all honesty, Asuka felt like she was back in kindergarten—extremely small and unprepared as she anxiously awaited what was within the confines of these walls. Feathers bristling, she quickly slipped in, not wanting to lose her nerve.

Asuka wasn't sure what she'd expected to be on the other side of the giant door labeled 1-A, but it certainly wasn't this. The diverse set of students gathered in the classroom before her was what happened when an artist knocked over their paint, the copious colors spilling all across the canvas to somehow create a brilliant work of art. They were vivacious and vibrant, their bright voices a symphony of people introducing themselves. A burst of deep laughter could be heard coming from a golden blonde, who was conversing animatedly with a pink-toned girl next to him. Across from them was a boy with flaming locks, nodding his head as he responded to another student, who had what looked to be tape dispensers on his arms.

Asuka fiddled with the strap of her backpack, sighing through her nose as she made her way down the aisle of desks. _C'mon Kamiya, you just have to lay low like you did in middle school. Easy peasy._

Standing in front of the boy with fire engine locks spiking up in every direction, she politely waited for an opportunity to interrupt, "Um, excuse me, I was wondering if there was a seating chart or—"

"Holy crap, it's you!" He jumped out of his chair, the legs harshly scraping against the floor as he pointed a finger at her. She instinctively took a step back, nearly tripping on the leg of a nearby desk as her wings produced a single flap, stabilizing her.

Asuka flashed the boy a bewildered look, "Do I know you?"

Candy apple eyes that seemed familiar widened as he collected himself, lowering his hand as an earnest grin slipped onto his face, "It's me, from the entrance exam. You ran right into me!"

There was a moment of awkward silence before her lips parted into a small 'O', her brain piecing together that he was the boy with the shark-like teeth. "Oh wow, I didn't even recognize you because of your hair. You look like a brand new person, but I think it suits you! It's really eye-catching."

Despite the smile she wore, Asuka was internally berating herself for how stupid that sounded. _It's 'eye-catching'? Oh my god, are you an 80-year old woman? You sound like such an idiot! _

A red deeper than his hair crawled up his neck before landing on his cheeks, his hand scratching the back of his head as he changed the subject, despite being secretly pleased with the comment, "Congrats on scoring third, by the way. I heard about what happened in there, I'm glad you guys made it out alive, but you must be so stoked! I heard your reaction time was insane!"

Slowly, the boy produced the widest, most cutest smile Asuka had ever seen. It made her wonder why she'd ever thought he was intimidating.

His solid red eyes steadily lit up, ramping up with excitement as he spoke, "It must've taken some serious guts to have jumped in there like you did! It was like something a real Pro hero would've done—were you scared shitless?"

His innocent question dropped like an anvil on Asuka's head, the winged girl now becoming uncomfortable with the teen's probing. Struggling to maintain a neutral visage, Asuka distracted herself by tightening her scrunchie.

Mentally, she repeated his question. Had she been scared shitless?

_No. _

"Yes." An awkward, tight-lipped smile settled on her face as she lied, watching as the spiky-haired teen stared off into the distance, awed and mumbling about something called a Crimson Riot.

"Is it true that you guys almost died?"

Asuka's gaze flickered over to the lanky, tape-dispensing boy next to them, blinking owlishly at the bold question. Even though he was the only one expecting a response, Asuka swore she could _feel_ her other classmates listening in.

_So much for laying low. _

She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself grounded, ignoring the snarky voice in her head that told her everyone was watching her — _judging _her — as her voice remained barely above a whisper, "Yes."

Sensing the thickening atmosphere, the redhead snapped out of his daze and turned to Asuka with a disarming smile, "What's your last name?"

She cocked a brow in surprise, knowing he knew it from the earlier reference to the exam's scoreboard, but decided to play along if it meant getting the spotlight off of her, "Kamiya."

His grin widened as he gestured to the desk he had been previously sitting in, which was a seat off from the other boy.

"You're right in front of me then, I'm Kirishima Eijiro." He offered the hand that had previously been accusatory and Asuka quickly shook it.

"Kamiya," Asuka offered, a wide smile splitting her lips, "Kamiya, Asuka. It's nice to meet you. Hopefully I won't be charging into you any time soon, because my ass still hasn't recovered from the sidewalk. Oh, that reminds me! Does your Quirk have something to do with the fact that you're built like a brick house?"

Sharp teeth peeked from a wavering grin, "My Quirk is hardening, which is super strong but doesn't catch any eyes, you know? I bet it's cool having a Quirk as flashy as yours." He raised a hand, splaying his fingers out for her to see as his flesh turned rock hard in a meek display.

Asuka watched as his eyes, which were previously set ablaze with excitement, quickly turned downcast as he criticized his Quirk. That feeling akin to maternal instincts rose from deep within her, zapping her back to the present as she reached out without a second thought, feeling the stony skin, "What are you talking about? I think this is so freaking cool—I've seriously never seen anything like this!"

He stiffened in surprise at the contact, gaze dipping back to Asuka's, watching as she carefully turned his hand over—almost as if she were afraid to hurt _him. _

"This is amazing, Kirishima," Asuka breathed, "A Quirk like this, it's perfect for helping people!"

Years of mental isolation had stripped her of any Quirk-related exposure, having spent the past decade avoiding not only her own Quirk, but the rest of the world's as well. This was the first time she was embracing one, witnessing it up so close — unless you counted the time Bakugou nearly blew her face off, but she didn't — and it was extremely personal. Not only was it personal because of the close proximity she had forced on him, but this was the first Quirk in her life that she was truly _seeing. _And it was so damn liberating.

To say she'd been woefully unaware of the Quirks around her and the copious forms they came in was the understatement of the century. But Asuka supposed now was as good a time as any to learn—she had ten years to catch up, after all. And she wasn't averse to any Quirk but her own, because any Quirk seemed cool compared to wings that lit up like a child's night light.

Appreciation and awe continued to well up in her chest, genuinely amazed as her eyes glazed over in wonderment, "I'd honestly kill for a Quirk like this. There's so many things you could do with it, and best of all, you can turn it off. These," she gently dropped his hand, throwing a thumb over her shoulder as she shook her wings out for extra emphasis, "can't be turned off."

The unexpected attention reddened his face once more, a pleasantly warm feeling entering the pit of his stomach as he asked, "But can't your wings harden too?"

She paused, looking contemplative as she carefully chose her words, "Sort of, but I can still think of a lot more uses your Quirk has. Can your whole body turn hard?"

"Yeah, I can totally turn rock hard!" he shouted confidently.

"I bet you can!" the electric blonde she'd noticed from earlier teased, peeking around Kirishima with a perverted grin. "Although when I do it, it's not exactly a Quirk."

_His hair is beautiful. _The color of his hair reminded her of the early morning, when streaks of marigold painted across the sky as the sun ascended above the horizon. Asuka glanced from the streak of black zig-zagging through his hair, down to her bland inky locks—a feeling of subtle self-consciousness coming over her.

Blinking away those thoughts, Asuka's gaze flickered from the golden blonde to Kirishima, then back to the blonde as a loud, unrestrained burst of laughter tumbled out of her lips, her entire body shaking from the force. The booming sound drew in a lot of stares, but Asuka was oblivious to it as her eyes watered, cheeks pinkening with mirth. All it took was one at Asuka, coupled with that uproarious laughter, for the lanky boy next to Kirishima to start cracking up—his head tilting back as he fully displayed his straight, almost-too-big-for-his-mouth teeth. The golden blonde quickly followed, secretly pleased with his corny joke landing. The redhead protested indignantly, eventually succumbing to their taunts as his arms crossed over his chest, muttering about how unfair it was to be woefully outclassed.

"Would you shut the hell up already!" A deep voice roared, causing the trio to immediately still as their laughter died off. The entire class collectively turned silent, a ripple of murmurs seeping into the air as heads turned to look at the belligerent source. The blonde in front of her whipped around, startled, as Asuka peered past him, tilting her head to the side as she blinked incomprehensibly.

Bakugou's gaze immediately flickered to the side, locking his molten lava gaze with her placid tides. "What are _you_ doing here?" the blonde couldn't keep the accusatory note out of his voice, not that he tried.

Suddenly, all eyes were trained sharply on the two of them as the room fell into complete silence. Asuka winced at the attention, bidding her wishes to remain well below the radar goodbye. While she'd known Bakugou her entire life, the others currently in the room did not. She knew what he was capable of, she could feel it from where she stood, his entire build radiating heat and raw power. It caused her fingers to twitch.

He looked at her like she was a mosquito he wanted to squish, which sent the blood running through her veins to pulse louder in her ears. A wobbly smile pulled at her lips, weakly joking in an attempt to defuse the ticking time bomb that was Bakugou Katsuki, "Trying to get an education?"

Kirishima made a noise of surprise and Bakugou seethed, crimson pupils narrowing at her critically as a fierce scowl curled over his lips. His palm crackled dangerously. "How did someone as pathetic as you manage to get a seat at U.A.? Did you cheat your way here?"

Asuka blanched, eyes snapping towards the explosive looking blonde in shock. Her graphite appendages instinctively bristled at the look he fixed her with, one that promised to decimate her. She held back a biting retort, reminding herself that it would make for a bad first impression and instead arched an incredulous brow, her arms folding over her chest, "Excuse me?"

"Enough. Save the petty squabbles for after class." A lazy voice drawled out and the entire class paused, turning to face the doorway where a mass of yellow suddenly rose from the ground. "This is the Department of Heroics, not a preschool."

Asuka stopped, the flat, lethargic drawl echoing in her ears as her attention left Bakugou. She turned her head, gaze dipping to an unruly mess of black hair and an equally black costume, a yellow sleeping bag at the man's booted feet. "It took you all eight seconds to quiet down. If this was the real world, you'd all be dead."

The entire class looked surprised as he shuffled lazily into the room, his half-lidded black eyes scanning each of them. He carded a hand through his unkempt midnight locks, "I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta. Pleasure to meet you."

Aizawa shuffled through his sleeping bag and like a magician's hat, he pulled out a gym uniform. "You'll find these in your desks, put it on and meet me on the P.E. grounds."

* * *

"Hi, there!"

Asuka's hands lowered from the scrunchie she had been nervously tightening when a pair of big, brown eyes popped out in front of her. She startled from the close proximity, wondering where the girl had come from.

"My name is Uraraka Ochako," she said, a sweet, toothy smile spreading across her plushy cheeks.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Kamiya Asuka." she responded, a cordial smile pulling at her own lips.

"You can call me by my first name," Uraraka added, shy and a little sheepish, "I mean, if you want! No pressure or anything! I don't even have to call you Asuka, would you prefer Asuka-chan? Whatever you're comfortable with! Ah, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Asuka warily regraded the girl, her smile wavering as it became somewhat forced—no longer reaching her eyes as she internally fretted. Uraraka's words and actions implied that she wanted to become closer than just classmates, and that sent the hairs on the back of Asuka's neck on edge. Acquaintances she could do, but friends? Totally out of the equation. But that nervous gleam in her eyes coupled with that bubbly smile melted her heart, awakening the empath in her. She sighed through her nose, thinking there wasn't any harm in becoming acquaintances. Right?

"Don't worry about it, Uraraka," she answered, an actual, affable grin taking up residence on her face. "Call me whatever you're comfortable with. I'm not one for formalities, anyways."

"Asuka-chan then!" Uraraka beamed, the two of them moving out the door.

Class 1-A gathered on the field, each student dressed in their new gym clothes. The material was silky smooth against her skin, providing a level of comfort she hadn't expected. The high grade material had also been made to accommodate her, the back of her top designed with slits—she assumed the school based these measurements on the costume applications they'd submitted a few weeks ago. A quick glance at her fellow Mutant-Quirk users showed that their clothes had also been personally tailored.

Uraraka cupped a hand around her lips in an attempt to appear inconspicuous, but didn't bother lowering her volume as she inquired, "Do you know why Aizawa-sensei brought us out here?"

Creases gathered at the corner of her eyes as Asuka squinted at the clipboard in their homeroom teacher's hand, swearing she could perfectly make out the words _Quirk Aptitude. _"I think he's testing our Quirks."

"Wonderful observation, Kamiya. Although it's considered rude to read over someone's shoulder."

Uraraka slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles threatening to spill from her lips as Aizawa-sensei raised a brow in her direction. Asuka stilled in silent horror, internally berating herself for not lowering her voice and trying to convince herself that the dozens of states currently stabbing into her back weren't real.

"You'll be taking eight physical apprehension tests structured similarly to those you've taken in the past," Aizawa-sensei said, his tone and posture noncommittal in every sense of the word. "The only real difference is that unlike other schools, you're allowed to use your Quirks whenever and however you want."

Her embarrassment faded as quickly as it came, substituted by furrowed brows and a nervousness that accompanied not knowing how to activate her Quirk.

"Whoever ranks last will be expelled."

_I'm doomed. _

"Expelled?" the class chorused incredulously.

"Did you think this would be all fun and games?" Aizawa-sensei asked, the frown on his face deepening in disapproval. "This is the Hero Course. If you're not going to take it seriously, then you don't belong here."

_Do you belong here, Asuka?_

That voice inside her head always managed to claw its way up from the deepest, darkest depths of her mind—preying on her doubts, doubling her insecurities. She tried to ignore it by pretending it wasn't there, squashing it down by focusing on something, _anything _else despite how cutting and clear it was.

"Are you nervous, Asuka-chan?"

Nervous was the understatement of the century. Asuka was ready to shit a brick.

Turning to the brunette, she immediately noted the girl's poorly concealed trepidation. Asuka couldn't help but find it kind of endearing, her anxiety akin to that of a newly adopted puppy being brought home for the first time. While Asuka was nervous by nature, she was more than positive that Uraraka's anxiety heightened it, putting her more on edge.

With a wobbly smile and an inclined head, she whispered her admittance, "Yes."

She'd be fine as long as she didn't get last place, but asking her to use her Quirk was like giving a set of car keys to a teenager that has never driven before—she had the right equipment, she just didn't know how to operate it. Her mouth twitched into a frown.

Like the skies after a bad storm, Uraraka's expression brightened as a thought came to her, "It'll be fun to use our Quirks though, won't it? I can't wait to see everyone's!"

Looking at Uraraka's beaming face compelled her to force the corners of her mouth upward, trying to reciprocate the bubbly girl's enthusiasm—although, Asuka just _knew _her expression must've looked constipated.

The tests kicked off with a fifty meter dash. Aizawa split the teens into pairs, and Asuka stood off to the side, observing the current performances. A tall, broad shouldered boy with sharp eyes and equally sharp eyebrows lowered himself to the ground, feet stacking against the starting blocks. Asuka squinted, gaze honing in to the objects popping out of his calves.

_Are those...exhaust pipes? _

Despite how rude it was, she continued staring, eyes widening as she noticed something else, "Those have got to be the thickest calves I've ever seen."

A violent snort exploded right next to her, shaking Asuka back to reality as her gaze swung to the perpetrator. It was the pink-toned girl from earlier—her bright yellow irises swimming with laughter as she raised a hand to her mouth in a poor attempt to smother her infectious giggles.

When they finally died down she raised a pink finger to her lips in a mock display of contemplation, "I don't knoooow, I think All Might's are way bigger! But it's kind of unfair to compare them because that guy is thicker than a bowl of oatmeal."

Picturing the world's number one hero, a man with thousands of saves under his belt and the greatest hero track record ever, be compared to a bowl of oatmeal — let alone be called _thick _— was enough to send her snickers into booming guffaws, the pink haired girl following closely behind. It was in that moment that Asuka's surroundings whisked away, leaving her to feel blissfully unaware as all of her stress melted away. Like she could almost stay in this moment forever and—

"Kamiya! Ashido! Something you'd like to share with the class?"

The girls jumped out of their skin, mouths zipping shut as their heads whipped around to look at their gloomy homeroom teacher. They chorused, "N-No Aizawa-sensei!"

His flat eyes roamed over them, lips pulled into a tight, thin line as his gaze lingered on Asuka for a second too long, before finally dishing out, "You're both up."

As they got into position a cotton-candy colored hand extended towards her, a dazzlingly warm smile on her lips as she leisurely spoke, "Ashido Mina, but everyone calls me Mina!"

The winged teen grabbed her hand, shaking it firmly as she responded, "Kamiya Asuka."

Taking a deep breath to clear her mind's slate, Asuka swept away any last minute doubts as the tension in her muscles immediately disappeared. With a test like this she knew it would be a cakewalk—it was practically made for her.

Fortunately or not, Aizawa cut off her brewing inner thoughts.

"Go."

Ashen wings slammed down, dust rippling around them in a wave as she propelled forward, the wind tickling her face in a comforting and familiar gesture. As she whizzed past the finish line a tiny mechanical robot loudly proclaimed, "2.98 seconds!"

_Not bad. _

Standing on the other side of the finish line with retracted wings, Ashido passed the robot, which announced her time as she whistled appreciatively, "Damn girl, and I thought I was fast. I seriously need me a pair of those!"

Asuka grinned, rejoining the group as the cheerful brunette skipped over to her.

"That was awesome, Asuka-chan!" Uraraka cheered, pumping a fist in the air. "I'm so glad I didn't blink, because your wings were all like wham! And then you were all like woosh!"

As the rest of her classmates focused on the test, a sable set of eyes continued to watch her contemplatively.

Most of 1-A succeeded in about six seconds, save for a few outliers with advantages and disadvantages. As the names dwindled until there was no one left to go, Asuka was struck with a startling realization—she'd been the fastest student. She was currently ranked first, a position she was sure the thick-calved boy would've secured. While her brain jumped to conclusions, fighting to scour up reasons for why it was a fluke, Asuka knew deep down it was because of her extensive training. It was finally paying off.

She was off to a fantastic start.

* * *

It was all downhill from there.

Thirty-five minutes later and six tests down, Asuka was reconsidering the whole 'become a hero' thing. Aizawa hadn't been joking when he said he'd throw them through the wringer, because every test he threw their way had Asuka receiving scores ranging from mediocre to below average. The only test results she was proud of was the fifty meter dash and the long distance run, both of which she had excelled in, but those victories had been short lived, quickly erased by her incredibly gifted classmates.

The only test left was the ball throw.

Asuka had watched in horror as Bakugou exploded the poor softball into the atmosphere, ranging a whopping 750 meters. This was then followed by a poised, pristine teen that produced a cannon from her body in a flash of pinkish-blue. Asuka still wasn't over that one, even as she continued watching how insanely inventive her peers were with their Quirks. But in the end Uraraka held the highest score, setting the bar extremely high with an infinite number.

When it was finally her turn, she couldn't help the murky, sludge of dread that leaked into her stomach as she walked over to Aizawa's outstretched hand. Asuka softly grabbed the softball, struggling to pick it up as Aizawa's steel-like grip held it firmly in place—her incredulous gaze swung up to his, her expression no doubt reading _what the fuck dude?_ as her mysterious homeroom teacher continued to blankly stare at her, his ebony eyes hardening infinitesimally as he regarded her.

When he finally let go of the ball, Asuka released a breath she didn't know she was holding, making her way to the field's pitch as she thought, _That guy is weird. _

The tips of her fingers swiped over the sides of the ball, grounding her as she closed her eyes. _You can do this, Asuka! It's literally it's just throwing a ball. Easy peasy lemon squ— _

"Some time today, you overgrown chicken!"

A pocketful of snickers followed the haughty comment until Yaoyorozu fixed them with a reprimanding look, instantly silencing them.

Like an enraged bull being taunted by the matador's red cape, a huff of air shot out of her nostrils, the muscles in Asuka's body tensing as a thick blanket of anger settled over her. The noirette gnashed her teeth together, grumbling curses beneath her breath when that overwhelming warmth flooded her backside, eliciting a cacophony of murmurs from her classmates. Asuka ignored the ignited light coming from behind her along with her peers, but as her vitriol steadily rose, so did the intensity of the luminosity consuming her wings. The softball left her hand, the tips of her fingers propelling the throw farther as her entire body twisted from the force of the action.

Eggshell eyes followed the ball like a hawk, watching as it rose further up into the sky before eventually reaching its vertex, crashing down like a parabola.

"75.6 meters."

Asuka whipped around, eyes narrowing as her gaze landed on Aizawa's phone. Despite the distance between them, she could make the numbers out perfectly. It wasn't the lowest score out of the class — that spot was currently being held by a violet haired boy named Mineta — but it was still incredibly low. Her anger dissipated, washing away to something worse—embarrassment. Asuka was going to be expelled, it was a certainty she could feel in the marrow of her bones. As the realization embedded in her heart, that prickle of energy that flowed through her veins abruptly cut off, the brightness of her wings shutting down like a computer screen.

Her pewter appendages drooped as she did the walk of shame, rejoining her peers with downcast eyes to avoid everyone's gazes.

"The entrance exam this year must've been pathetic if a kid like you got third place," Aizawa-sensei said, his biting tone knotting her intestines as she begrudgingly looked up. She had thought his eyes looked dead when she'd first met him, but now they looked ready to kill as they glanced sideways towards the leggy girl with spiked hair. "You've been observing your classmates since we started the assessment, Yaoyorozu. What can you tell me about Kamiya?"

Asuka bit her tongue in surprise, wincing from both the physical pain and the discomfort that began creeping under her skin. Turquoise eyes wandered over to the girl's analytical, cat-like eyes as her lips thinned, pausing as she gathered her thoughts. It occurred to Asuka, quick and hissing as if she were ripping off a bandaid, that Aizawa possessed a great understanding of the situation but was using Yaoyorozu to single her out, alienating her. But why? Was his ulterior motive purely punishment or to shame her into improving?

"Kamiya-san hasn't made any attempts to use her Quirk," she said, slowly and carefully, as if she were weighing each word. "Considering the severity of the consequences for failing today, I don't think it's because she doesn't want to, but because Kamiya-san is inexperienced."

A few of her classmates sucked in a breath, eyes peeking edgily towards her with looks of pity, others not even bothering to waste time with discretion as they openly stared. Heat rocketed up her back, coursing up her neck and firmly planting itself on her face. Her entire body felt on fire—red hot and aflame with embarrassment and shame.

Their homeroom teacher nodded, having drawn the same conclusions himself. His gaze swung back to Asuka, mouth opening to speak until Yaoyorozu continued without prompting, "However, I do believe that with practice Kamiya-san can reach the full potential of her Quirk. She's able to activate it, as shown by her earlier display, but lacks the guidance necessary for controlling it. And there is no better place to achieve that guidance then here at U.A."

Asuka let out a strangled breath, trying to suppress a shiver as her homeroom teacher's unlinking gaze returned to her, "You can't be a Hero and a deadweight," Aizawa-sensei said, his voice as flat as a pancake despite the severity of his words. "How can you expect your comrades to depend on a dependless Quirk? Do you expect others to wait around until you figure out how to use it? You're an endangerment."

Asuka shook her head furiously, frantically blinking her eyes because she _refused _to cry, "No, that's—"

"I'm passing you," Aizawa-sensei interrupted, and the finality in his tone left the rest of the class staring and silent. "Make it count for something."

* * *

Asuka had not passed with flying colors. In fact, she was dead last in twenty-first place. She deserved it, of course, but that didn't make it hurt any less. Even though Midoriya had injured himself by using his Quirk, he'd at least _used_ his Quirk — which secured him a spot at twenty. It was her own fault for assuming she stood on equal ground with any of her peers, but ranking below an invisible girl — Hagakure, she believed her name was — landed an unexpected blow to her ego. Being placed even further down than the diminutive boy with detachable hair named Mineta rubbed more salt on her already wounded self-esteem.

Hand tightening around her backpack's strap, Asuka wanted nothing more than to burst into tears and punch something, then cry some more. And then maybe engorge herself with some vanilla ice cream. Because if anyone knew better about healthy coping mechanisms, it was Asuka.

"Yo, Asuka!"

Said girl stilled, looking over her shoulder as the pink-haired girl from earlier jogged up to her. "A couple of kids from class are all going out to eat. We thought it'd be a super fun way to get to know each other! Sort of like an icebreaker, y'know? So we were wondering if you wanted in?" A blinding smile pulled at her lips, her golden eyes crinkling with good intentions, "It'll be totally fun! Plus, where we're going has milkshakes, which are always my go-to pick-me-up! But if that's not your thing, we can totally eat till we vomit and then eat some more!"

"Oh, um, no thanks Ashido—but thank you for thinking of me!" Asuka nervously fiddled with a loose strand of inky hair, "Besides, I have to go to work."

Ashido's face crumpled, before brightening up again, "Oh, well that's okay! Next time then?"

Despite her heart telling her how wrong it was to lie, she planted a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes on her face, "Sure."

They parted ways, Asuka continuing her trek down the sidewalk until Ashido whipped around, skirt swishing from the movement as she wildly waved, "See ya tomorrow, Asuka!"

She waved back wordlessly.

* * *

An animalistic scream tore through the air, shredding the lining of Asuka's throat as she assaulted the punching bag.

"Stupid — fucking — _wings!_" she shrieked, punctuating each word with a blow. "Stupid — fucking — _Aizawa!_"

"Is this a bad time?"

Asuka's angry gaze rolled over to the doorway, anchoring in on a familiar head of pink lace. In the woman's hand was a bottle of water most likely meant for her, but Asuka couldn't be bothered. "Leave me alone Davis-sensei, I'm not in the mood right now."

Asuka refocused on the punching bag, sending a volley of jabs its way as Davis' lips pursed in a clear display of displeasure. Asuka ignored the padding of her instructors feet against the matted floors, teeth gnashing together when the pinkette stood next to her wordlessly. "Asuka, look at me."

Her command fell on deaf ears.

Davis exhaled sharply through her nose, her hand shooting out to immediately still the punching bag her student was about to take off the ceiling. "_Look_ at me."

The teen begrudgingly turned, vision impaired by the tears of anger thickening her lashes. Despite the displaced animosity being leveled at her, Davis' eyes softened, watching as Asuka swiped a gauze-wrapped hand across her cheek, catching the falling tears in the soft fabric.

In a voice gentler then a summer's comforting breeze, Davis asked, "What happened?"

And that's all it took for Asuka to finally break down, rubbing her eyes raw as she cried. She told Davis everything—from the way she'd been thrust into the spotlight and made into a spectacle for her entire class to watch, all the way to the girl that had expertly pointed out her weaknesses — and thus, her insecurities — before finally finishing with the homeroom teacher she was sure loathed her.

"A-And I'm just so tired of feeling useless!" Asuka's lips quivered from the outburst as she desperately reigned in her emotions, her voice becoming a fallen decrescendo as she finished, "I feel like no matter how much I do, no matter how much I train, I'm still stuck in place. Like I'm not making any progress."

"Oh, Asuka..." Davis' voice was thick with pity, "You're not useless, you just don't have your Quirk fully under control yet. Things like this take time, and it certainly doesn't help our case that we're trying to catch up on the last ten years. This isn't something you can cram into a few weeks. Believe me, I wish it was."

When Asuka refused to comment Davis continued, "And I think we've made excellent progress so far. Just a few weeks ago, you discovered that your Quirk is strong enough to withstand a _skyscraper_, Asuka. Which is pretty pretty fucking dope if you ask me."

Asuka cracked the tiniest smile at her teacher's unique phrasing.

"We still don't know the full extent of your Quirk, but we'll figure it out. Besides, I don't think your day was a total failure. It sounds like you're making friends and that one girl definitely sounds interesting—what was her name, Yaya-something?"

Cyan eyes rounded on her teacher, falling as flat as her expression, "Yaoyorozu. And Davis-sensei, she's the one that called me out."

Davis tutted, "Yeah but she called you out _nicely. _A lot of people in her position probably would've torn you to shreds without a second thought, but she considered your feelings and the effect her words had. Just think about how awkward it must've been for her to have been in that position. Plus, it sounds like she has a badass Quirk, I'd definitely be friends with her."

A deep frown settled on the teen's lips, "I don't have time for friends."

Mint green eyes widened at the declaration, "Woah, woah, woah! Hold up! What do you mean you 'don't have time'?"

"You said it yourself, I don't have my Quirk fully under control yet, which means I need to spend as much time as possible figuring it out," Asuka squashed down the real reason she was purposely distancing herself from others, hating herself for lying to her mentor, "And well, you know...the life of a Pro Hero is dangerous..."

As she let the tail end of her answer hang in the air to ruminate, Davis' eyebrows scrunched up as a disapproving look planted itself on her features, "You do realize that's the dumbest shit I've ever heard, right?"

Asuka looked affronted, mouth swinging open to argue until Davis stopped her, "You're a good kid Asuka, even if you _can_ be kind of overbearing sometimes—"

"—Hey!"

"—but I know it's because your heart is in the right place. But I think it's important for you to learn how to share yourself with others, because if you don't, you'll become extremely isolated and lonely. Besides, no Pro hero has ever made it far without help along the way."

Fervent mint green bore into robin's shell blue, unwavering as they pierced into her soul. Davis finished with a note a finality that struck a chord within her, "If you don't make these connections now, you'll lose them forever."

Davis was right, of course, she _always_ was. Asuka was nice, perhaps a bit too nice for her own good. But her kindness didn't make her flawless. She was a walking contradiction, a mother hen that fretted over everybody but herself. She was wildly avoidant of her own problems as she buried her feelings, bottling them up until they exploded out of her like a volcano. She was reckless, although she preferred the term _spirited_. She was terribly self-conscious and riddled with self-doubt. She loathed her Quirk but refused to allow anyone else to loathe their own. But the biggest contradiction of all was her desire for friendship and everything that accompanied it, but Asuka wasn't stupid, she knew the dangers involved in getting too close. Because one day she would die, and when she did, Asuka didn't want anyone to mourn her like those in her previous life had. She couldn't put anyone through that again.

Asuka stood there, humming noncommittally as she prayed that bridge would take a long time to get too, or if she was lucky, it'd burn down all together before she even got to it.

* * *

foreveradreamerinlife: **Sorry this is two chapter late, but you might be onto something! :) **

TheKursed: **Thank you so much for your kind words, they mean the world to me! Also, I seriously can't wait to _fully _reveal her Quirk because we're only just scratching the surface. **

Frenchie Is French: **Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm so happy that you love Asuka's character! She can sometimes be such a pain in the butt to write but I wanted to make her as human as possible. **

xenocanaan: **Thank you so much for your wonderful review! You're so sweet and reading it really made me smile :) Also, I absolutely love how you picked up on the parallels between Midoriya and Asuka regarding their outlook on Pro Heroes, it really showcases just how deeply Asuka cares and overall how emotional she is. Also, I cannot thank you enough for your reassurance. I'm constantly fretting over Asuka's character and worrying if she's a Mary-Sue or if she'll be too OP once I fully reveal her Quirk. But at the end of the day, I remind myself that there's some God-tier kids in this class and Asuka has a lot to catch up on, as shown in this chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed! 3**

AmbertheCat: **I'm so sorry your day was awful, but I'm glad I was able to help cheer you up! I'll be sending you some positive vibes! 3**

Warlord of Chaos:** Your English was spot on, so please don't apologize! And I've been thinking about Asuka's hero outfit for a while now, which I hope comes off as cool as what I'm picturing in my head. It'll most likely be revealed next chapter :)**

Dark Mystique: **Thank you so much! I hope you've enjoyed. **

curlystruggle: **Your reviews are so freaking genuine and hilarious! Every single one filled me with so much warmth, so thank you so much! 3**

**I'll keep this note short and sweet. Only a _part _of Asuka's Quirk has been released, but I have so much more in store! And I really hope you guys will love it as much as I do :)**

**The trivia for this chapter is: When Asuka laughs, **_genuinely _**laughs, it's loud. She's embarrassed by it because of how much attention it draws in but others find it extremely infectious. She can also be identified by it, which further adds to her embarrassment.**

**And as always, thank you to everyone that has favorited, followed and reviewed! Y'all keep me inspired! **

**Signing off, **

**Sandafairy **


	6. The Ring

The Wind Beneath Her Wings

Chapter 6:

The Ring

* * *

"Asuka, I have something for you."

Looking up from a homework assignment that was definitely _not _being done at the last second, Asuka saw her mother standing in her bedroom's doorway. The older woman looked pensive, bark brown eyes a sullen sunless sky as her gaze drifted off somewhere to the side, dazed and distant. It was as if she was somewhere else. Her head, perhaps? Or maybe a whole different world.

Shaking herself from her stupor, Asuka inclined her head. "Come on in, mom."

With her came a stifling air of melancholy that instantly put Asuka on edge. She dropped her pencil carelessly, scooting back in her seat without a second thought as she stood next to her desk. The winged teen watched as her usually calm and collected mother stood awkwardly, looking like a teenager waiting for their date to show up. As if remembering why she was there in the first place, Hisoka shoved her hand deep into her pants pocket, lips thinning into a straight line as she procured a necklace with a silver ring looped through it.

Hisoka held the necklace in the palm of her hand, a look of great fondness seeping into her eyes as her thumb gently stroked the ring, confessing, "This belonged to your father."

Turquoise eyes rolled down to the jewelry, her heartbeat picking up in surprise from the revelation. In all of Asuka's fifteen years of living she had never — not even _once _— seen anything remotely related to her father. This was the first time she was looking at something that actually _belonged_ to the man, because it was an unspeakable truth that at the Kamiya residence, Hideki Kamiya simply didn't exist. Asuka had a creeping suspicion that her mother had purged their apartment shortly after his death, the thought of him most likely too painful for the poor woman to bear. But it was no secret that during her youth, Asuka's father had always been a frequent thought in the back of her mind. Their huge blowout fight had stoked the flames of her unbridled curiosity, leaving it like a wild fire—blazing and rampant.

The teen assumed this admission was a product of Hisoka's numerous therapy sessions. Although Asuka would never pry, because she respected her mother's privacy, that didn't stop the curiosity that clawed at her insides. All she knew was that this was a _huge _leap of faith for her mother—a gigantic step in the right direction to mend their fragile relationship.

Asuka reached for it, plucking it gently out of her mother's grasp as if it were a grape from a vine. The ring was stainless steel in color, wider and thicker than anything that would ever fit on her. Upon closer inspection Asuka noticed an inscription on the inside of the ring, which read a date and a single word written in English: _Forever_.

_A wedding ring? _

"Why are you giving me this?" Asuka cringed at the words that left her lips. Shame heated her ears once she realized how callous that must've sounded, and quickly corrected, "N-Not that I don't appreciate it! I'm just surprised, is all! I know how much this means to you."

A despondent smile graced her mother's features. "My therapist told me it's time to share your father's memory. And that begins with you." Hisoka produced another ring, this time it was her own. "Although, I'm not quite ready to give this one up."

They were a matching set, both pristine and extremely well kept. Although both were inscribed with the same date, Hisoka's wedding ring had a different word written in Kanji. "What does your say?"

"Always."

Asuka's heart clenched.

_Forever Always. _

"Can you help me put it on?" she asked, a pang of sympathy rocketing around in her chest.

Hisoka nodded, pocketing hers once more as Asuka held up her long obsidian locks, waiting with bated breath as her mother clipped the necklace into place. Once finished, she released her hair, the pads of her fingers shooting up to toy with it. Asuka gently rotated the ring back and forth along the necklace, wondering what her father would think if he were here.

Stuffing it inside her uniform's shirt, she turned to her mother. Asuka slowly encircled her arms around the woman, squeezing to silently show her thanks.

Tears gathered in her mother's eyes, rolling softly down her cheeks until they eventually fell, absorbing into the shoulder of Asuka's blazer. Her voice was airy, barely above a whisper as if it would drift away. "Your father would be so proud of you."

That pesky voice in the back of her head wondered if her mother was proud of her too.

* * *

Asuka had expected to be the first one to class, but as she passed through 1-A's monstrous doorway she was greeted by the sight of her three classmates. They all sat towards the back of the room, off in their own little worlds as Yaoyorozu's nose was buried deep in a pictured encyclopedia, the boy with dual-colored hair sitting next to her had his head tilted back, sleeping, while the broad shouldered boy — whom she couldn't for the life of her remember his real name — was fiddling with a pencil, sharp eyebrows drawn together as he debated which location on his desk it fit best.

Asuka quietly stepped over to her desk, sliding her backpack off her shoulder as she unzipped it, trying to hunt down her adventure novel from the mess of items that filled her bag. When she finally found it, she gently placed it on the wooden surface of her desk, fully intent on reading it until homeroom started. It was the latest installment in an ongoing series, about a daring girl named Ami who'd—

"Excuse me, Kamiya-san..."

Yaoyorozu stood before her, hands clasped behind her back and an almost tentative look on the studious girl's face. Asuka blinked in surprise, yesterday's events flooding back to her like a tsunami as the refined, elegant girl's words poked at her self-esteem. She quickly banished those thoughts and turned her attention towards the spiky-haired teen, a cordial smile pulling on her lips. "Good morning Yaoyorozu-san, can I help you?"

"I, well, I'd like you to forgive me for my presumptuous observations," Yaoyorozu started, fidgeting slightly and Asuka instantly regretted any ill-will she'd harbored against the girl. Looking at her now, Asuka knew she'd wrongfully pegged this girl in so many ways, because the earnest look on her face and the shift of her shoulders promised nothing but good intentions and kind eyes. "Yesterday's unforeseen events put me in a rather precarious situation..."

Yaoyorozu trailed off as her already stiff posture became stiffer — something Asuka didn't think was possible — before the black haired girl looked the barest hint of uncertain, but there was a hopeful and almost eager look on her face. "You see, when Aizawa-sensei called on me, I didn't want to defame your character. But what I said was true—"

Asuka was painfully aware.

"—I believe the key to your success lies within hard work and dedication. If you devote yourself wholeheartedly, you'll have control over your wondrous Quirk in no time!"

Asuka froze, not expecting that finish. She stared at her with round eyes, gaze sweeping over the taller girl to detect the barest hint of a lie. But Asuka found none. The only thing she saw was an overwhelmingly earnest expression and obsidian eyes that practically sparkled.

The girl's statement held no underlying tone, no double meaning to her words, not even an ounce of derision—_nothing. _Yaoyorozu's sentiment had been pure and truthful. Asuka's chest filled with warmth, finding the girl's encouragement invigorating and _inspiring_. Unbeknownst to the creation Quirk-user, her words struck a chord within Asuka, because not only did the genuine encouragement fill her with a sense of pride, but for the first time ever it was coming from someone other than Davis — because let's face it, she was her teacher and _had _to provide positive praise — and it made her feel... light-hearted.

"P-Please don't worry about it, Yaoyorozu-san!" Asuka fumbled, her emotions all over the place as she began waving a hand dismissively. "I understand how awkward it must've been for you with Aizawa-sensei putting you on the spot like that! Besides, you handled the situation perfectly. I definitely wouldn't have been able to have put it so eloquently."

"I'm so glad you understand!" Yaoyorozu's smile was radiant and proper, as she pressed an elegant hand to her chest and inclined her head delicately. "I spent all night fretting about it. I was worried I'd sullied my own imagine, even though I'd never put down one of my own classmates."

The warmth that had previously taken up residence in her chest spread out, expanding until it reached from head to toe—leaving Asuka extremely touched by the genuine concern her classmate felt for her. _This girl is so fucking nice—I almost want to cry! _

Oceanic eyes sparkled in slight awe, wondering what she must've done right for the universe to have graced her with this wonderful girl's presence. "Yaoyorozu, you're so sweet."

A subtle pink streaked across her cheeks as she brought a hand to her lips. "Nonsense, Kamiya-san. I assure you, anyone else would've done the same had they been in my position."

Asuka flashed her a bright grin, nodding even though she knew that wasn't true. "Just Kamiya's fine. No need for honorifics, we're classmates after all."

"Kamiya then!" Yaoyorozu brightened and she stepped forward, looking surprisingly bubbly despite her normally calm and capable disposition. "By the way, is that novel on your desk the second installment of the _Skyfire Cycle_?"

Asuka focused on the book laying innocently on the desk, her gaze rolling back towards the slender teen as her grin widened. "Yeah, it's one of my favorite books of all time. There's talk in the community about the next installment coming out soon, so I thought I'd re-read it to keep the details fresh and everything. Are you a fan, Yaoyorozu?"

Yaoyorozu's lips formed into a tiny 'o' before another lovely blush pinkened her cheeks. "Yes! My mother chides me for indulging in them when I could be spending my time reading more informative texts, but they're a guilty pleasure! And I hadn't heard any rumors about a new book coming out soon... but hopefully they're true! I need to know what happens to Ami-chan!" A metaphorical lightbulb appeared over the spiky-haired girl, that twinkle from before returning to her eyes. "Would you like to have lunch together? My mother packed me biscuits she brought back from her recent trip to France, they're simply divine! They pair nicely with tea, although I don't have any on me... perhaps next time though! I'd love to discuss the book with you, because you simply must tell me your thoughts on, well, _everything! _I'd especially love to learn more about your feelings towards—"

Asuka seemed to short circuit, her brain officially shutting down as the girl in front of her excitedly spewed her theories for how the protagonist would make it out of her current situation.

* * *

Asuka had always figured that U.A. was going to be rather different—it was a given, considering the school's prestigious standing. The school surpassed anything she could've expected, with the open utilization and acceptance of Quirks, along with an environment that thrived off of diversity. It was intense, with rigorous courses that pitted classmates against each other, but also taught the importance of coming together in threatening situations.

But at the end of the day, U.A. was still a high school.

Several of the students around her looked unimpressed but attentive as the slender man from the entrance exams, Pro Hero Present Mic, rattled off the complex differences of word order in the English language. Asuka found that while the courses were a higher quality than what Aldera had to offer, the English lessons were still by far the easiest for her. Asuka attributed that to having maintained the language. But that didn't mean Asuka was proficient in every subject, in fact, the one subject that not only kicked her ass, but absolutely _wiped the floor with it_, was math. When it came to mathematics she didn't know her ass from her elbow, no matter how hard she studied. The subject had never clicked or given her a satisfying "aha!" moment, instead it left her feeling grossly inadequate and extremely frustrated. The mere thought of the accursed subject made her want to rip her hair out. It was like reading ancient hieroglyphics designed by cracked out aliens. Her attempts at math were so pitiful that if someone were to put a pencil and a piece of paper in front of her, while holding a gun to her head, with the only way to survive being to solve an equation, she'd beg them to just end her life right then and there.

The teen mentally snorted, thinking, _Okay, that's an extreme comparison, but_ _still, fuck math. Whoever invented it should honestly go suck a big, fat—_

"Achoo!"

A thunderous sneeze disrupted her musings, along with Present Mic's humdrum monologue. Everyone shifted in their seats, heads turning to silently judge the offender—Kaminari. Butterscotch eyebrows raised at the attention, as if saying, _What?_

Thinking nothing of it, Aduka wordlessly reached into the front of her backpack, rifling around until she felt what she was looking for—travel pack tissues and hand sanitizer. She reached out, her short stature making her strain to reach the sunny blonde. To her left Sero watched with unconcealed amusement, his laughs hiding behind a fake cough that made her want to smack him. Asuka's wings gave a quick shutter—her butt leaving the seat as she leaned against her desk, silently nudging her hand against the boy's shoulder.

Kaminari turned, honey gold eyes widening as realization struck him like lightning. "Thanks _mom_," he joked, his lips broadening into a grin as he took the tissue and hand sanitizer. "Ooh, watermelon flavor!"

Asuka nodded, praying that nickname wouldn't stick as she offered with a shrug, "I also have pumpkin, but fair warning, it's glittery and smells like a cupcake had a baby with a—"

Present Mic's sharp octave cut in. "I'm all about turning the volume _waaaaay_ up, but I prefer my lessons silent. Be more respectful!"

The room went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The only distinguishable sound was the shifting of her classmates, their eyes now settling on her form. Asuka stiffened in horror, falling back into her seat — her ass nearly slipping off the chair — as her face erupted in red. Her embarrassment was palpable, practically rolling off of her in waves. To make matters worse, an uncomfortable influx of heat poured down her back like melted wax, making her bury her face behind her hands. She internally cursed the universe for continuously putting her in such cliché situations! Because for _once_ could it not be so cruel?

The room remained uncomfortably quiet, except for the snicker that was undeniably coming from Bakugou, which only served to embarrass her further.

Kaminari inclined his head ever so slightly to avoid Present Mic's detection, slowly muttering out of the corner of his mouth. "Man, you sure have a knack for getting on teacher's bad sides."

The admittance did very little to put her at ease.

To add insult to injury, Present Mic's sharp octave picked up once more, his penetrating gaze peering at her from beneath his shades. "Why don't you direct your soundwaves towards something productive? Which of the sentence structures on the board is correct?"

Asuka didn't even bother looking up from her hands as she uttered, "The fourth one down, Present Mic-sensei."

After a few beats of more uncomfortable silence, Asuka finally tore her hands from her face, her cheeks evening out as she gazed upwards.

She mistook Present Mic's shocked silence for disapproval.

"It's correct because it says," Asuka paused, unsure how to proceed with her explanation. She racked her brain for a way to properly convey the translation in Japanese, but eventually decided that reverting back to her mother tongue was the easiest way for her to explain it as she translated. "I am a student at U.A."

Her words were crisp, clear and concise with no underlying accent. She switched back to Japanese, finishing, "The fourth sentence goes against the usual structure of subject, object and verb that we follow."

Present-Mic imperceptibly inhaled a bit too sharply, expression a pinch miffed at not catching the distracted teen off-guard.

Despite the anxious thoughts now swarming her mind, along with the heat on her back that intensified the longer the students around her that kept _staring_, she could swear she heard Bakugou mutter under his breath, "You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

The sunny blonde sitting in front of her cupped a hand around his mouth, silently mocking their surprised English teacher. "Oooh, in your face."

Asuka's embarrassment tripled, her hands immediately shooting up to tighten the scrunchie imprisoning her hair out of habit.

It didn't take long for Present Mic to snap out of his trance, instructing her to keep her distractions to a minimum, before he picked back up with the lesson as if nothing had happened.

Midoriya peered past Sero, his juniper eyes gleaming with curiosity as he whispered to her, "Wow, Kamiya-san! I had no idea you were fluent in English! How long have you been bilingual?"

Asuka stared at him, fixing him with a look that clearly read, _Dude, are you serious? I just got my ass chewed out for talking! No way in hell am I responding to that. _

But the expectant smile gracing his lips was enough for her to quickly give in as she wordlessly held up four fingers, pleased as he immediately connected the dots.

"Since you were four?" Midoriya quietly muttered to himself, but to her refined sense of hearing it was as clear as day. "That's about the same time Kacchan started reading!"

Unbeknownst to the winged teen, the explosive blonde's shoulders tensed at Midoriya's statement.

Behind her, Kirishima rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I guess it makes that you're bilingual, with your features and all."

Asuka looked affronted, whipping around in her seat to face him. She whispered harshly, "What's _that _supposed to mean?"

A panicked look settled over the redhead as Sero jumped in, explaining, "I'm sure he means with your facial features, like your eyes and stuff. I noticed it when I first met you, too."

A lascivious grin settled over Kaminari's face, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively. "Hey Kamiya, how about we make East meet West—"

Jirou's earphone jack crept out at a remarkable speed, smacking Kaminari upside the head. The boy hissed in pain as he fixed her with a glare, whisper-shouting, "What the hell was that for!"

The violet-haired girl silently shrugged, returning to her work.

"Who the fuck cares!" Bakugou finally roared. His pencil shot up into the ceiling from the force of his explosion. Asuka stared in mild surprise at the smoking tip of wood now impaled through the ceiling panel. "I'm tired of hearing all this fucking word vomit flying out of your goddamn skulls!"

Present Mic threw his book down on his desk before dramatically throwing his hands up in the air, groaning, "What did I _just_ say about distractions!"

* * *

Lunch time was... _interesting. _

U.A.'s daunting cafeteria offered very little breathing room with its' students rammed to the rafters, swarming around in every direction like bees. Everyone collectively gathered in a single place, abuzz with excitement as they chatted amicably with their friends over the refined cuisine U.A. offered. The cacophony of different conversations mashing together all at once was a bit jarring, but it pleased Asuka to see others so content.

As she moved towards the never-ending lunch line, she was taken aback by the copious menus brandished proudly before the students. The blown up pictures advertising infinite combos and deals reminded her of a mall's food court. The further she moved down the line, the more Asuka's mouth watered at the plethora of enticing smells assaulting her nostrils. She groaned. _I'm gonna gain so much weight here. _Her stomach rumbled at the thought, solidifying the sentiment.

Asuka glanced longingly at the rows of food that were being pushed forward by Pro Hero Lunch-Rush, his voice cheerful as he urged students to grab it while it was still hot. She bit her bottom lip, brows furrowing slightly. There were so many options to choose from, should she go with the foil-wrapped salmon with the side of rice or the juicy hamburger steak served with a side of grilled vegetables?

"Excuse me," his voice was low, cool and crisp, like the air atop Mount Everest. It instantly snatched her attention away as Asuka's eyes shot a little upwards, meeting a breathtaking set of gray and blue. "You're in my way."

_Holy hell, why is this kid so damn pretty? _It was a thought she hadn't seen coming, but it painfully true and _extremely _unfair how genetically blessed the boy standing in front of her was. He had to have been sculpted by the Gods, you couldn't convince her otherwise. He was several inches taller than her with an athletic build, his peppermint hair split evenly down the middle—his right side a gorgeous snow white, and his left a blazing crimson. Speaking of his left side, Asuka couldn't help but notice the scar that marred her classmate's skin, reaching from his hairline to the halfway point of his cheek. His reserved eyes regarded her mutely, his turquoise iris strikingly similar to her own.

Realization slapped her sideways as Asuka mentally cursed herself for staring, and hurriedly apologized, "Oh, sorry about that! There's just so many choices and I guess I got a bit distracted." Thinking nothing of it, Asuka offered her hand. "I'm Kamiya Asuka, it's nice to—"

"I know," Todoroki eyed her for a moment longer than necessary, an undercurrent of ire in his otherwise flat gaze as Asuka's eyes reminded him of someone he knew. "Todoroki Shouto."

A firm hand enclosed around hers and she froze, her eyebrows scrunching slightly in confusion.

"You're the one the teachers keep calling on."

It wasn't by any means said with any ill intent—merely painfully honest.

Asuka ignored how hot her ears felt and delicately retracted her hand. "R-Right."

Asuka didn't know which was worse, being known as the class's troublemaker or the class mom.

It didn't take long for Todoroki to pull away, inclining his head in a silent goodbye as he proceeded to walk past her and collect a tray of cold soba noodles. Asuka looked down at her hand, the boy's cold touch still lingering.

A painful growl emerged from her stomach, causing a handful of nearby students to look at her. She flashed them a wobbly smile, rubbing the back of her head as she thought, _I don't even care what I eat at this point, just as long as I get some food in me already! _

Her eyes settled on the enclosed container with hamburger steak.

Two hands reached outwards at the same time to grab the container and she halted. Asuka's eyes trailed upwards and promptly met with fierce crimson. She froze.

If it had been anyone else she would've immediately apologized and offered to take something else instead, refusing to take no for an answer. But because it was Bakugou, she fixed him with a glare, daring him to take it from her as she hoped her eyes properly conveyed, _I'll fucking kill you for this. _

Bakugou swiftly retracted his hand, as if burned, before spitefully choosing the vegetarian option next to it. Asuka's head tilted to the side in thought, knowing that the blonde had always been less than impressed by vegetables.

"Get out my way," he snapped, shoulder bumping roughly against hers as he pushed past. "And wipe that stupid look from your face."

Annoyance bloomed behind her ribcage, her tongue poised and ready to shoot a curse his way. But she decided against it, knowing it would cause an unnecessary scene. Instead, she watched his retreating form, his shoulders hunching and stiff, before reaching for the container once more.

* * *

The cafeteria only had one exit. And right now Asuka was staring at it, ignoring how dangerous it would be if a fire ever broke out, and instead focused on the way the double doors beckoned to her. To any sane person it would simply be a means of leaving an area, but to Asuka they promised refuge—a way out of her current predicament. As the exit continued to whisper sweetly, more than willing to offer her the opportunity to sneak past undetected, her mind conjured up an image. It was of a spiky-haired girl sitting primly with a pile of untouched biscuits — the ones she hadn't touched because she was waiting to share them with _her _— it made Asuka's stomach turn sickly.

_"If you don't make these connections now, you'll lose them forever."_

Was she okay with losing them?

The grip on her lunch's container tightened, already knowing the answer but refusing to believe it.

* * *

Finding Yaoyorozu had been easier than she thought it would be. That spiky head of hair was easily distinguishable amongst the sea of students, but weaving through the crowd was proving to be more difficult. Asuka was mindful of the tables and their close proximity, her wings as close to her body as humanly possible as she silently stepped past a particularly rowdy table full of girls, nearly dropping her lunch as she dodged a slimy green tentacle that shot out as one teen re-enacted a certain scene in her story.

The winged teen was almost to her targeted table when a rich, cheery voice called out to her. "Kamiya! Come sit with us!"

Asuka quickly turned, her obsidian locks swishing to the side from the force of the action. Turquoise hues immediately anchored her attention on soft, ruby red. The corners of her lips rose at the sight of Kirishima, her course shifting as her legs took her to his table—which was currently being occupied by not only himself, but Kaminari, Sero, Mineta and strangely enough, Bakugou. Although, the explosive blonde sat a bit off to the side, not far enough that he was excluded but certainly not close enough to be considered cordial.

She watched Kirishima lightly smack the side of Kaminari's shoulder, disrupting the story he was telling Sero as the redhead pointed towards her.

A megawatt smile graced the blonde's features, his tone as smooth as honey. "C'mon Kamiya, we could totally use a girl over here! It's a total sausage fest—no offense fellas."

Sero's shoulders lifted nonchalantly, "None taken."

Asuka's eyes flickered past the redhead to settled on Bakugou, watching as his eyebrows pinched together, lips tugging down into a sneer as he ruthlessly stabbed a baby carrot. A look of unease crossed her features before it quickly smoothed out as she turned to face Kirishima, an insecure smile playing at her lips. "I don't think that's such a good idea. Besides, I promised Yaoyorozu I'd sit with her."

_Promised? More like 'forced' into sitting with her. You need to keep your dista—_

"Eh? Well next time if you're looking for somewhere to eat you can always sit with us!" Kirishima jutted a thumb toward himself as Kaminari bobbed his head next to him.

"There's plenty of room," Sero grinned well naturedly, arm gesturing to the available chairs with a flourish.

"Plus, lunch time is always more fun with friends!" Kaminari added, casually popping back the lid of a soda can as he finished, "So make sure to eat with us next time, alright?"

Asuka nodded absently, her insides twisting at the casual mention of 'friends'.

"Besides," her gaze flickered toward a pair of glazed soot, balking at the smile that curled on Mineta's lips as shadows cast over his countenance. "You can always sit on my—"

Mineta didn't have the chance to finish his depraved comment because Sero had swiftly rolled up his sleeve, shooting tape over the boy's mouth as a look of shock crossed his features. "Come on, dude."

Kirishima's hand shot out to smack the back of his head, an undertone of disgust in his words, "Have some respect for women."

"There's a fine line to being a pervert, Mineta. And you sir, toe it." Kaminari said, humming in agreement.

Taking this as the perfect time to slip away, Asuka turned to leave, a tight frown touching her lips as she walked away.

The pesky voice in her head reminded her that getting too close wasn't a viable option. But that didn't stop her heart from weeping.

* * *

The way Yaoyorozu provided insight on her favorite book of all time was delightful. Finding another person that shared the same interests was simultaneously freeing and foreign to Asuka, but the taller girl was incredibly knowledgeable, picking apart details that had flown right over her head. The majority of the conversation was held by the creation Quirk-user, with Asuka politely listening to the girl's passionate monologue, nodding along at certain parts.

It wasn't until Uraraka joined their table that Asuka's focus shifted, her hawkish gaze landing on the brunette's meager meal of two side dishes. Inky brows knitted in confusion until realization dawned on her. She wiped away any look that would give her away as oceanic eyes swept back to her own lunch. She'd already eaten half of it but the ever present rumbling of her stomach was insatiable—begging her to scarf it down and go back for seconds.

But sometimes even the right decision was the hardest to make.

"Oh man," Asuka griped to the bubbly girl beside her, "I didn't expect U.A.'s portions to be so big." The winged teen turned to fully face Uraraka, playing the part. "Uraraka? Would you mind finishing this for me? It'd be such a waste to throw it out."

Uraraka turned to her with wide eyes, a brick-colored blush painting the apples of her cheeks. "O-Oh, um—"

Asuka watched as the girl tucked a hair behind her ear, embarrassed. She flashed the brunette a reassuring smile. "You'd actually be doing me a huge favor. Because between me and you," Asuka leaned in close, whispering, "I'm trying to watch my figure."

Uraraka's shoulders relaxed, nodding in understanding as she took the untouched meal. Asuka beamed, "Besides, if we're going to be Pro Heroes it's best we eat like one, right?"

Yaoyorozu delicately reached for a biscuit, breaking it apart as she agreed, "A body is only as strong as its mind."

Asuka purposely shifted the attention off of Uraraka by talking to Yaoyorozu about the book once more.

It wasn't until Yaoyorozu said something that shocked Asuka to her core, making her disrupt the gentle atmosphere. "_What!_" The spiky-haired girl jumped at her sudden outburst. "You like Ami and Kyro... _together? _Are you insane?"

Yaoyorozu's startled expression smoothed out, a gentle hand cradling the side of her face as she opened her mouth to explain—

Only to be cut off by the tray that slammed down on the table.

"Oh man, I can't wait to dig in! My tumblies has had the rumblies all morning." Ashido moaned, patting her stomach as she whispered to it, promising it would be fed soon. She looked up, taking in the scene she'd disrupted, "Oh hey, what're you guys talkin' about?"

Asuka was the first to answer. "It's this series called the Skyfire Cycle."

Ashido looked to Jirou, who translated, "It's a book they've been geeking out over for the past ten minutes."

Ashido made a face, sticking her tongue out in distaste. "Yeah, no thanks. Books aren't really my thing."

Asuka shrugged, "It's actually pretty cool. It's about these two neighboring kingdoms that've been fighting a war for centuries, but things take a turn when one of the kings is assassinated. That king's daughter—"

"—The protagonist, Ami-chan," Yaoyorozu supplied helpfully.

Asuka nodded, thankful for the seamless interruption as she continued, "—has to find out who killed her father, because she's being framed for his murder and her own people are turning against her—"

"—So who's this Kyro guy?" Ashido asked, swirling a french fry through a glob ketchup as she slowly became enraptured in the plot.

Asuka's lips thinned as she thought about his character but quickly explained before Yaoyorozu could jump in, "He's the prince from the opposing kingdom. But he's such a bad influence—" Asuka raised a hand, ticking off each personality trait that rubbed her the wrong way. "He's broody, unpredictable, has an overinflated ego and he's just plain _mean._"

Silence followed her statement until Uraraka spluttered, breathy laughter escaping her lips, "A-Asuka-chan! You sound just like a disappointed _mom!_"

Ashen wings jolted in embarrassment, her cheeks staining pink as Kaminari's earlier comment pushed to the forefront of her mind. The girls around her snickered in agreement—even Yaoyorozu was having trouble holding back the laughter she was trying to hide behind a hand.

When it finally died down Ashido asked, "So what's wrong with this Ami chick liking the bad boy?"

Asuka looked at her as if that was the stupidest question she'd ever heard. "Because Ami's so nice! She _obviously_ belongs with someone who's as caring as she is, like her royal guard, Nouren."

Yaoyorozu gave a good-natured scoff. "It's only logical that Ami and Kyro end up together. After all, their kingdoms _are _at war with each other—they could potentially use a marriage as a peace treaty and conjoin their kingdoms."

In that moment, Asuka hated how logical and level-headed the girl was. _Team Nouren for the win! _

"And," she added, "A majority of the fan base believe Nouren to be the traitor."

Asuka groaned, refusing to believe such slander.

Chestnut eyes turned to her, Uraraka's small frame still shaking with mirth as she said, "Sorry Asuka-chan, but I think I'm with Yaoyorozu on this one. Ami and Kyro sound like they'd be so cute together!"

An unruly mass of bubblegum curls bobbed up and down as Ashido practically sang, "You know what they say about opposites attracting~"

A noise of disgust lodged in the back of Asuka's throat. "But it's such an overdone trope."

"Nuh-uh!" Uraraka quickly intercepted, "There's nothing more romantic than the bad boy with a secret heart of gold falling for the nice, gentle girl!"

Turquoise eyes rolled so hard they nearly fell out of her face. "This isn't an anime."

A cheeky smile landed on Ashido's face. "I gotta agree with Uraraka, but maybe it's 'cause I'm a hopeless romantic. But who doesn't love a little sugar _and _spice!"

"I think you're misinterpreting that meaning." Yayorozu supplied, taking a bite out of another biscuit.

Asuka looked at the final member of their table, hoping she'd agree with her, but Jirou shrugged disinterestedly before taking a sip of her drink.

She groaned once more.

* * *

"Everyone, please sit down!" Iida gestured wildly at the front of the class. "Class is about to begin and the teacher will be here any second!"

"Who put you in charge?" Bakugo spat from his seat, and Iida's head whipped around in shock.

"Nobody put me—"

"It's me!" The door to the classroom swung open with a flourish, a loud voice instantly booming across the class, followed by a bright laugh. "Coming through the door like normal!"

Asuka's focus instantly snapped toward the front of the room. Her eyes went round as excitement saturated the atmosphere, everyone around her eagerly leaned forward in their desks. _Holy shit—it's actually All Might! _

Sunflower blonde locks were styled and slicked back atop his head, the two signature strands jutting upwards to defy the very concept of gravity. His primary-colored costume was pulled taut against the muscles rippling across his body, his navy cape swinging out fully behind him as he strutted into the classroom. He turned to face all of them with a wide, shining grin.

All Might.

Even with her sheltered childhood, it was impossible not to know about the famed hero himself. But unlike her classmates, Asuka was not besotted by the sheer magnitude of hero standing before them—because like she'd told that man in the convenience store, he was still a _person. _

"Foundational Hero Studies!" All Might struck a very superhero-esque pose, hands tightening into fists as they lay on his hips. "In this course you'll learn the basics of being a hero, so get ready to pack a punch! Because for today's lesson we'll be doing—"

He whipped around, brandishing a card for all of them to see and Asuka blinked, reading the word 'battle.'

"—Combat training!"

_Combat training? _Asuka tapped her fingers like morse code along the desk. _If it's hand-to-hand combat, I got this. But if it's something more... _

"And to go with your training... We've received the costumes based on your Quirk registrations!"

Several slots along the wall slid outwards, rumbling as they brandished numbers in sleek metal cases in response to everyone's numbers.

"Our battle gear!"

"This is so awesome!"

"We're gonna be just like the Pros!"

"Everyone, change quickly! Then gather at Ground Beta!" All Might waved his arm, cape fluttering behind him as he exited.

Asuka would love to say that everyone got up in a peaceful, orderly fashion to receive their cases according to their assigned numbers. But that simply wasn't the case. All at once everyone shot up from their seats, ruthlessly charging over to the wall like a pack of wild animals. Asuka calmly remained behind, watching as everyone eagerly grabbed their costumes, opening the cases to sneak a peek. They looked like children on Christmas—eyes alit with pure delight, excited gasps leaving their lips as they fell hopelessly in love. When the crowd finally thinned out, Asuka left her desk and made her way over. Hers was the third one down from the top, a bold neon '13' on the case's front. She reached for it, heart leaping into her throat as excitement filtered into her bloodstream—

Her fingertips barely scraped the bottom of the case. _Oh you've gotta be fucking kidding me._ Asuka cursed her inferior genetics, standing on her tippy toes as she strained to reach her costume. _Thank god nobody is here to see this. _

A firm hand reached out, narrowly missing the side of her head as it grabbed the case. Asuka chomped down on her tongue, holding back a scream as she whipped around. Robin's shell blue honed in on gunmetal blue, the bespeckled boy gently holding her case out for her. She regarded him softly, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. "Thank you."

The right side of his mouth quirked up into a grin, happy to have been of use. "It's no problem at all, Kamiya-san!"

"Please, call me Kamiya." The winged teen waved off the honorific, extending her hand towards him.

Sharp, intellectual eyes rolled down to her hand, immediately taking it within his strong one. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance! Please feel free to call me Iida. While I have you here, I'd like to extend a proper congratulations to you on receiving first place in yesterday's tests. Your speed is remarkable!"

The praise made heat rise to her cheeks. "You're not too bad yourself."

Iida nodded. "Come now, Kamiya. We should join the others."

* * *

"I wish I'd been more specific on my request form, my suit's so tight—it's kind of embarrassing."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Asuka's eyes found Uraraka's as she pinched the material at her chest. "I didn't expect mine to be this tight, either."

When Asuka had submitted her costume request form she had approached it like most things in life—at the last minute. Davis had pressed her for weeks, stressing the importance of making a statement — Asuka had absolutely _gagged _at the word 'debut' — until one day she got fed up with Asuka's procrastination, sat her down and forced her to make one. They had spit balled ideas off each other for _hours, _with Davis shooting down every suggestion made—especially the one about a cape. Davis had smacked her upside the head with a rolled up magazine, explaining how they got snagged on everything and how impractical they'd be with her wings.

It wasn't until much later they'd both come to a compromise.

A catsuit.

Asuka's costume consisted of a black form-fitting catsuit, made from a leather-like material that was specially modified with two large slits over her shoulder blades, allowing her wings to easily protrude. It was extremely lightweight and breathable, with an additional feature that would help regulate her body temperature for when she was high up in the atmosphere. Secured snugly around her waist was a utility belt that paired beautifully with her suit, first-aid equipment inside the pouches attached to the outsides of the belt. Splayed out across her chest was a symbol of a bird, it's wings drawn out in a powerful display—the entire thing colored the exact shade of her eyes. Donning her feet were knee-high combat boots. And finally, on her face she wore a shaped, blue-tinted visor to protect her eyes.

The three people closest to her — Kaminari, Ashido and Kirishima — faltered in their step as they glanced between the duo, then to each other as if to confirm they'd all heard the same claim. Kaminari's grin widened. He looked skyward and mouthed a silent 'thank you' to whatever universal forces had brought his and Asuka's paths to cross.

"Well, I think your costume looks super badass! If I was a villain and you were beatin' the hell outta me, I'd thank you." Ashido grinned toothily, throwing out fists in front of her while making 'bam, bam, bam!' sounds.

"Thanks, Ashido." She glanced at the mutant girl, taking in the costume that was as vibrant as she was. The obvious contrast between their outfits lit a spark of amusement in her chest. "Your costume is super cool too—I love all the colors!"

Pink lips grinned from ear to ear as the girl leaned close to whisper, "When I was filling out the form, I had to bust out my best colored pencils for it."

The winged teen snickered, a response on the tip of her tongue when All Might emerged.

The barrel-chested blonde's smile was blinding as he boomed, "Alright young heroes, I hope you all got enough sleep last night because today's training is not for the weak-willed!"

All Might's comment was met with pure silence, the collection of teens unsure how to respond. Kaminari raised a hand, forcing everyone's attention to him as he spoke, "Sometimes my eyes close when I sneeze."

Cricketing silence ensued, disrupted only by Asuka's pitiful attempts at muffling her chortles. God, he was such a _dork. _

Jirou turned to Kaminari, her tone as flat as her expression. "You're pretty dumb, aren't you?"

"Thank you." Kaminari said, a genuine smile gracing his features.

"Why're you thanking me? I just insulted you."

"All I heard was 'you're pretty,' and I'm focusing on the positives in life."

Jirou looked like she was about to facepalm.

"—Anyways!" All Might cut in, "For today's training you'll be split into two teams and face off in two-on-two indoor battles!"

_Which means practical experience and... Quirk usage. _

Asuka swore softly.

"Don't fucking curse in front of All Might, _Feathers_." Bakugou appeared out of nowhere, his much larger, broader shoulder smacking into hers with enough force to bowl her over. If not for Ashido's hand shooting out to catch her, her face would've been greeting the floor.

Asuka's incredulous eyes followed his form, watching as he made his way to the front. She ignored his statement, her mouth wordlessly mouthing the insult. _Feathers? _

The thought was fleeting as All Might quickly assigned the class into pairs, with the exception of one group having three to accommodate the odd number. Asuka had been paired up with Kirishima, the familiar face instantly easing her nerves. The redhead had been ecstatic, pumping a fist in the air as he gave a whooping cheer. They watched their assigned ball be drawn, set to face off against the hero team represented by Ashido and Aoyama.

"Let's do our best!" Kirishima grinned eagerly, clacking his knuckles together like marbles.

"Right!" Asuka replied, the redhead's enthusiasm easily rubbing off on her. _He's depending on you, Asuka. Don't mess this up! _

* * *

They'd been brought to an underground viewing room to watch the first battle — Bakugou and Iida vs. Midoriya and Uraraka.

Staring up at the gigantic monitor, watching as his lips moved wordlessly to strategize with Uraraka, Asuka couldn't help but feel strangely connected to the boy. Midoriya and her were in a similar boat, with them both not knowing the full extent of their Quirks.

Asuka always had a soft spot for Midoriya, but the kinship they shared had deepened it. But even now, as she stared up at his slimmed down face, and the defined muscles outlined beneath his costume, Asuka found it hard to dissociate the image she still had of him growing up—the meek, warm-hearted boy with radiant smiles that could cure just about anything. The thought of being pitted against someone like Bakugou sent Asuka's heart thudding a beat too fast, anxious for the smaller boy. But the rational side of her brain halted that thought, reminding her that Midoriya was no longer the boy from their middle school days. He was now strong and extremely capable. And this fight was needed for Midoriya to grow both as a hero and a person, because it was more than just a fight—it was a test of will against someone he still considered a friend.

_He's going to be just fine. _

The battle kicked off with a surprise attack from Bakugou. Turquoise hues hardened as she watched the blonde's palm explode, devastation laying in its wake as Midoriya threw a protective arm around Uraraka, throwing them to the side to avoid the blast. _That's it! Nice dodge, Midoriya! Now use that big beautiful brain to kick his ass! _

To her left Kirishima was shaking his head in disappointment, crimson locks swaying with the action. "What a low blow! I know he's the villain in this situation, but a sneak attack like that is so uncool."

"Yeah, but Midori sure can dodge!" Ashido said, a glint in her eyes as she jumped, almost gleefully.

Their eyes flickered back to the screen, awe welling up in all of their chests as they watched Midoriya grab Bakugou's right arm, pivoting on his heel as he slammed the blonde to the ground in one fluid motion.

Asuka winced as a collective gasp filled the air.

Her gaze locked on Midoriya's huffing body, a feeling of delight swelling in her chest. Asuka idly wondered if this is how parents felt watching their children take their first steps. Because she was damn near tears.

"What's happening now?" Ashido asked, confusion coloring her features as she peered up at the screen. "Are they... loudly declaring their feelings?"

Asuka muttered, "Looks like it."

Bright yellow eyes rolled, a playful smirk on her lips. "They're such drama queens."

Kirishima scoffed despite the sharp teeth peeking from a grin. "I prefer the term _passionate._"

The lightheartedness of their conversation shifted as the scene above them did.

Asuka watched as Bakugou corned the smaller boy, his back to the wall with absolutely nowhere to go. Her face fell, replacing itself with a look of unease as her stomach turned violently. A sickening smirk curled at the blonde's lips as he raised a gauntlet.

Her heart dropped.

Ashen wings reflexively shot out, nearly smacking Kirishima and Ashido across the face as she turned to their teacher, screaming, "All Might, you need to stop them! He's going to kill Midoriya!"

Startled by the young girl's admittance, the hero grabbed the receiver, rumbling, "Bakugou, that's enough, kid!"

She watched helplessly as Bakugou said something back to All Might, causing a dark shadow to cast over their teacher's face as an index finger curled around the pin. A fiery blast the size of a boxcar consumed the entire hallway, blowing out the entire side of the practice building as Midoriya flew back several feet.

Midoriya lay amongst the rubble, motionless. And there was absolutely nothing she could do to save him.

Bakugou's hulking figure emerged from the billowing smoke, half distorted as the plumes covered him—a deranged look on his face. She watched as he leaned forward, shoulders hunched and muscles pulled taut as he began shouting something at the boy.

Emerald eyes slowly drifted open, startled as they took in his current predicament.

Asuka's hand flew to her heart in a weak reassurance. _He's okay. _

"Sensei, shouldn't you stop them? That kid's crazy—he's looking to kill!" Kirishima asked, looking as worried as she felt.

But All Might allowed the fight to continue, using the receiver only to warn Bakugou against the use of his gauntlets.

As the battle raged on her classmates conversed in hushed tones, observing the explosive blonde's intricate fighting style. As they critiqued and analyzed not only his moves, but _him_, something dark settled into the pit of her stomach. It was unsettling, cold, and twisted her intestines harder than spicy foods.

Bakugou Katsuki was the boy she'd also grown up with, so of course she'd always known him to be aggressive. But this was... _different. _This was a whole new ferocity she'd never seen before, because the boy had always been all bark and no bite. But right now, with his teeth bared to the world like a dog set to attack, she watched as his blood red eyes hardened—blinded by nothing but unbridled rage and a hunger for destruction.

As she continued watching him, she realized what that feeling was.

_Fear. _

* * *

A rough, yet gentle hand reached out for hers, squeezing softly to pull her attention away from the screen. She turned, watching as Kirishima dropped her hand.

"It's our turn."

She absently nodded, pulling herself together. _He's okay, he's alive... Recovery Girl's going to fix him up no problem. Just focus on your match! _

As appointed villains, All Might had given them a head start to devise a plan and get into position, but the time they should've been spending strategizing was spent solemnly, a thick silence clinging to the air as they walked along the narrow hallway.

"You grew up with him, didn't you?"

Turquoise eyes swept over to ruby red, startled by the sudden sound. She nodded. "Yeah. He's always bullied Midoriya, but that was..."

Asuka didn't know what to call it.

"Excessive?"

Her head bobbed once more, supplying, "I think 'horrifying' is more accurate."

They continued in silence, trekking up a flight of stairs before entering the concrete-lined room, a catwalk of pillars directing towards the center where the fake weapon was located.

Kirishima glanced back at her, mouth drawn into a serious line as his eyes hardened with determination. "I was thinking you take Aoyama and I'll take Ashido. I went to middle school with her, so I've seen some of her fights."

She nodded, midnight locks bouncing from the action. "You've got it."

As she thought of the task that lay ahead, her stomach backflipped. _You've been through this a thousand times, what's one more?_ With a deep inhale, Asuka squared her shoulders, mirroring the readying stance Kirishima had.

She pressed her palm to the cool pouch on her belt, patting to double-check that the bundle of capture tape was still there. _There's nothing to be nervous over, you can do this! _The snarky voice in her head casually disagreed, but Asuka swatted it back, focusing on the pounding of her heart as she counted the seconds in silence.

They burst through the door like confetti. Asuka fought against the glare of glitter emanating off of Aoyama as Ashido threw up a fist, shouting, "Get ready for an ass whoopin'!"

When Kirishima made no motion to act first or move from his blocker position, Asuka took the initiative.

_I need to get a gauge of his Quirk._

Asuka set off in a sprint, circling around a pillar, watching from her peripheral as Ashido shot past, intent on charging Kirishima head on. Aoyama's head tilted in intrigue as he casually moved himself to the right, hands on his hips as a blast of arctic blue light shot from his belt.

Asuka's eyes widened. She rolled to dodge his blazing beam. Aoyama's hit shattered the pillar behind her with a chilling crack. Her jaw tightened. _I can't let him hit me._ The difference between Aoyama and Davis' fighting styles was blindingly clear. Whilst the pinkette favored invasive, in-your-face short range attacks, the blonde preferred mid to long range to gauge his opponent. Getting close to him was going to be hard, but if she timed it just right and utilized her speed, she knew she could encapture him in the tape. Asuka tried to spy gaps in his style to capitalize on, intent on going in for an attack that would render him unable to blast her to bits.

"Sorry about this, mon cheri~" A smirk pulled at Aoyama's lips, bright indigo eyes twinkling as he gave her a wink. He threw his arms behind his head, pelvis thrusting outward as a laser beam shot towards her—bigger and brighter than before.

Asuka jumped into the air and in a rapid twist of precision, jumped over the blast like a pole vaulter. She landed like a cat, rolling to a stop she did a quick glance-over, thanking her lucky stars that she hadn't been hit.

_His blasts have range! _

The blonde's face scrunched up, twisting in what looked like pain. Asuka raised an eyebrow, watching as he suppressed a groan. _Why is he reaching towards his stomach like that? _The cogs of her brain were set into motion as she focused.

There was a pause in between his attacks, where it appeared he had to recharge. Almost as if there was a recoil to his Quirk—

_Bingo. _

Asuka took the opening and dropped low. She darted around the other pillar, using her minute size and agility to her advantage. Her open palm swung up in arc. Just like before Aoyama leaned away, dodging the impending hit. Asuka's eyes widened when at the last second Aoyama charged up for another attack. _I'm screwed!_

In a last ditch effort she ignited her wings, intent on shielding herself when she squeezed her eyes shut, awaiting the hit.

But it never came.

Popping open her eyes, she lowered the curtain of feathers, the light of her wings dying out with the action.

Aoyama blinked, startled at the sudden inability to move. A halo of dagger-like feathers embedded into the cemented walls behind him, outlining the blonde like chalk at a crime scene.

Wide eyed shock bloomed across all four of the heroes in training.

Ashido was the first to shake off the trance as she asked incredulously, "Did you just move your feathers with your _mind?_"

_It was like an instinct. _

Aoyama shrieked girlishly, babbling in another language as he slowly removed himself from the wall, careful not to touch any of them. He fisted the royal purple cape, trying to free it, but in the midst of his panicking he gave a deep tug—ripping the fabric as the feather remained unmoved.

Behind her, Kirishima rushed forward, using the distraction as he deployed the capture tape around the pink-toned girl — who whined about how unfair and what a cheap move that was — while Asuka scrambled to help the panicking boy.

She dropped to her knees, hooking a palm around the feather lodged into the sparkly cape. It instantly bit into her skin, cutting across her palm like a hot knife through butter. She hissed, spitting out a curse that made Aoyama blush as thick, crimson blood flowed down her hand, curling around her wrist and onto the cuff of her costume. _Okay, that was fucking dumb, Asuka. But seriously—what the hell? _She stared at the feather coated in red, her mind turning sardonic. _Just when you thought you couldn't get any freakier. _

Aoyama wailed above her, flipping between languages as he fretted over not only the rip in his gorgeous cape, but the blood that was about to stain it.

"Kirishima! I'm gonna need you over here when you're done!" she threw over her shoulder, her free hand digging into one of her pouches to extract gauze. Asuka singlehandedly rolled the cotton fabric around her palm, raising the gauze to cut it on the side of the embedded dagger-esque feather — an action that made the sparkly blonde glare in annoyance — before tucking it back into her pouch.

Solid footsteps soon approached her. Asuka watched as the redhead extracted the tape from his pocket, wrapping it around a now indignant Aoyama. _Covering our bases...good thinking Kirishima! _

He bent down, his flesh turning stony as he pulled the ashen feather out of the wall with some difficulty. Scarlet eyes brimming with concern rounded on her. "You alright, Kamiya?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Good job on capturing these two." Her free hand rubbed the back of her neck, embarrassed as she apologized, "Sorry I couldn't have helped more."

The corner of his lips curved up into a grin as he offered her a hand. "What're you talking about? Without that distraction I wouldn't have been able to capture Ashido."

"Damn right!" Ashido called, visibly miffed at the tape ensnared around her torso.

"Nicely done, villains!" All Might's powerful voice boomed through their earpieces. "Come back to the monitor room to discuss your victory."

* * *

Kirishima had been lively and active throughout most of the walk back, offering engaging talk and wide grins as he discussed what little of her fight he was able to see.

"It was like watching a different person!" Kirishima beamed and Asuka fiddled with her wrappings, the redhead's earnest nature pinkening her cheeks. "It's almost like someone flipped a switch and sent you into beast mode!"

Ashido huffed behind them. "Don't think this is over! Next time I'm gonna wipe the floor with you guys."

Asuka looked over her shoulder, taking in the arms crossed over her chest and the lips that jutted out, pouting cutely. Ashido's annoyance reminding Asuka of a kitten that'd gotten sprayed for clawing the furniture.

"I look forward to it." Asuka said sincerely, smiling.

Bright yellow eyes widened, her arms uncrossing as a warm smile slowly painted itself on her lips.

When they entered the monitor room, Uraraka immediately flocked over to her.

"Asuka-chan, are you alright?" the brunette asked, scooping Asuka's hand in her own, worry evident on her features.

Asuka smiled softly, gently reclaiming her hand as she answered, "I'm fine, Uraraka. Sorry to have made you worry."

The bubbly girl tilted her head to the side like a puppy, confused. "You don't have to apologize, we're fri—"

"You did well!" Iida praised, appearing out of nowhere as he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"Thanks," Asuka said, tucking her hair behind her ear. The amount of attention being focused on her was starting to make her uncomfortable.

"I didn't know you could use your Quirk like that! It was really cool." Uraraka offered cheerfully, patting Asuka's back with an easy going smile.

_Neither did I. _

As Iida and Uraraka continued to converse, Asuka easily slipped into the background, finding a secluded spot towards the back to watch the other teams.

Spiky, ash blonde hair and slanting blood-red eyes greeted her, a deep scowl etched onto the boy's face. A searing heat spiraled in her chest before it quickly died out, disappearing as fast as it came. She wanted nothing more than to be angry at him, because while she _was _furious on behalf of Midoriya — who she couldn't help but picture broken and bruised in the nurse's office — there was something about his expression that made her pause.

It was wounded. Like an animal.

Asuka felt something in her chest sink. It was as if she were staring at a stranger.

Bakugou's angry gaze focused on hers, fully expecting her eyes to be holding the usual bitterness she reserved just for him. But instead he was met with that infuriatingly gentle, _disgustingly _gentle look she always held. Honest eyes pierced through him as if the walls he'd packed around himself for years met nothing. Bakugou's jaw tightened as he scowled reflexively, breaking eye contact before her for once. "Wipe that goddamn look off your face before I blow it off!"

Asuka flinched, instinctively jumping back as her wings subconsciously curled around her. She raised her wounded hand to her heart, willing it to calm down.

A cotton candy hand reached out, tugging on Asuka's arm. Oceanic eyes flickered to bright yellow.

"Come on," Ashido instructed, tearing her away from the explosive blonde. "Best not to tempt the beast."

As they walked away, Asuka looked back at him one last time, a quiet, gentle flicker of emotion whispered through her heart before it slipped past her fingers, leaving her unable to figure out what it was.

* * *

It hadn't taken long for All Might to notice her injury. He'd instructed her to go straight to Recovery Girl, despite her protests and reassurances.

The diminutive woman had been extremely displeased at seeing her again, but had still worked dutifully. She'd cleaned away the blood — which had mostly stopped bleeding by the time she'd gotten to her office — and gave it a gentle smooch, warning her that her powers wouldn't be able to wipe away the scar.

Asuka had been startled by that. Hell, she was _still _surprised her hand had scarred. Her injuries were suppose to heal a smidgen faster than others, right?

The winged teen flexed her healed hand, a frown touching her lips as she traced her newly marred skin. Blue hues stared at the warped shape extending from the top of her palm all the way to the bottom, cutting right into her hand's life line.

She snorted. _How ironic. _

* * *

Asuka's eyes flickered to the vacant desk near the window, the setting sun's rays beamed down on a familiar yellow backpack.

"Uraraka, have you seen Midoriya-kun?" she asked, picking up the bag. She ran a thumb over one of the many enamel superhero pins, smiling softly at the boy's adorable, yet dorky fixation.

"Oh!" the brunette snapped to attention, "Deku left in a hurry. He said he had something to do."

_Shit. _

Asuka's hands tightened as she quickly stepped back to her own desk, throwing her bag over her shoulder before running out of the classroom.

She ignored the calls coming from Uraraka as she sped down the hallway.

* * *

_Oh no... _Asuka paused, taking in the scene before her.

The two boys stood in the middle of U.A.'s courtyard, a strange, static-like tension building up between them. She had missed whatever Midoriya had just said, but judging from his stiff posture and the fist clenched at his side, it'd been important. Asuka's eyes hurriedly bounced from the duo down to the bag in her hands, then to her immediate left. Suppressing a hefty groan, she threw herself to the side, behind one of the large arches of U.A.'s walkways. She folded her ashen wings, hiding herself from their view. _How do I keep getting myself into these situations? _

She blamed it on the Universe for being a sadistic prick once again.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" She jumped at Bakugou's furious voice, low and threatening. "'Borrowed power.' What are you trying to do, make me out to be more of a fool than you already have?"

_So you told him... _Asuka's breath hitched, the muscles beneath her uniform tensing as her back dug into the concrete pillar. _Was that the right move to make, Midoriya? _

Asuka risked a glance around the archway, stilling when she saw the same expression Bakugou wore earlier, the one that chilled the marrow in her bones.

Bakugou's voice trembled with fury, thin brows furrowing in a heavy glare. "What are you trying to say? Today I lost to you—that's all it was. That's all..."

Turquoise eyes remained rooted to the blonde, unable to look away as rage colored every speck of his features.

"Today when I watched the ice guy I thought 'I can't beat him!'" Bakugou snapped, his voice rising as the frustration in his tone became more clear. "Damn it! I even ended up agreeing with that Ponytail girl!"

Asuka swallowed thickly, willing herself to finally look away as she absentmindedly rubbed at a pin, the look on his face from earlier beginning to make sense.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! But just you wait, Deku!" Bakugou snarled, teeth gnashing together. "I'm just—I'm just getting started! You hear me? I'm going to become number one!"

Heavy footfalls echoed against U.A.'s vast courtyard, a blur of bright colors muddling together as it shot past. She jumped further back, hand flying to her hammering heart. _What the hell was that! _

"There he is!" An unmistakable loud voice rattled the air around them, dispersing the suffocating static.

As All Might clasped his hands over Bakugou's shoulders, Asuka peeked edgily from behind the archway, wondering when she'd finally be able to emerge because the position she was in was starting to become uncomfortable.

"Let go of me, All Might. I can't walk." Bakugou ground out, stubbornly rubbing at his eyes. All Might paused, looking startled as Bakugo turned to fix him with a fierce glare. "I'll become a hero that surpasses even you!"

"Oh, right," All Might sounded disappointed, but complied as he lifted his hands off of the boy.

Asuka gaped in disbelief. _But he...used to love All Might. What happened to him? _

Asuka silently stood, dusting off the backside of her skirt as she watched All Might and Midoriya drift off into their own little worlds, both looking after the blonde as he stalked down the sidewalk.

With careful, deliberate steps she moved into the courtyard. "Hey, I was looking for you."

That head of leafy green turned, the mass of curls moving with it. All Might turned too, but Asuka's breath caught in her throat as she focused on her classmate. His visage was very un-Midoriya-like. The sunshiny smile that usually sat on his face had vanished, replaced by a pensive, yet disturbed look.

Asuka's heart clenched as she flashed him a bright, disarming grin. "I was wondering if you wanted to walk home together. It looks like you could use the help."

As if someone had flipped a switch, Midoriya came back to her, freckled cheeks pinkening as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with his uninjured hand. "T-That's not necessary, Kamiya-san! B-But thank you anyway!"

Asuka snorted softly, her eyes rolling. "You're not even out of your costume, so hush. I'm walking you home, whether you like it or not. Besides, we're neighbors, it's not like it's out of my way."

Although, even if it was she'd still go the distance for him.

"B-But—!"

"I'm not taking no for an answer." she insisted, like a dog with a bone.

Behind Asuka, All Might looked between them pointedly, smile widening as he flashed the verdant-haired boy an approving thumbs up, which sent Midoriya's face running red.

"Are you feeling alright, Midoriya-kun?"

"J-Just fine! Thanks for asking!" He scrambled. "But maybe you're right, my mom's probably worried about me."

Asuka nodded, politely bidding the hulk-like hero a goodbye as she walked alongside Midoriya.

A soothing silence descended on the two teens. The only distinguishable sound to be heard between them was their footsteps slapping against the pavement and the gentle rustling of Midoriya's sling.

"What happened to your hand?"

Robin's shell hues flickered to emerald, his analytical gaze anchored on her injured hand. She flexed her fingers, staring down at it as she thought, _Nothing gets past you, Midoriya. _

"I cut it during combat training." His eyes settled on her, making her look away as she explained, "It's a part of my Quirk, I think."

Midoriya raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

She gulped, wondering if this was a conversation she really wanted to get into.

No. It was not.

But Midoriya had that same expectant look from earlier, his eyes glittering and earnest.

Asuka sighed, knowing it was over before it had even began. _Damn you and that puppy dog look! _

Asuka stared ahead of them, stubbornly focusing on everything but this conversation. "I, um—my feathers can sharpen like...daggers?" she said, sounding so unsure of herself. She couldn't help but find her tone akin to a little kid trying to explain what their parent had shoved into their backpack for show-and-tell. "I don't really know how I did it, but Ashido said I moved them with my mind."

Midoriya inhaled sharply, wishing he had his notebook on hand.

The winged teen tucked an errant strand behind her ear, nervous. Her voice was beginning to waver. "I-I know kind of freaky, right? It caught me completely off guard and—"

"—It's not freaky!" he blurted loudly. Asuka's neck nearly snapped from how fast she whipped her head in his direction. He was staring at her with the widest, most kindest eyes. "Every Quirk has something unique to offer! And I think they're gifts that have been given to us, so we shouldn't take them for granted!"

_What have I started? _she thought, staring at the boy who was now on a roll.

"And while I don't know the full extent of your Quirk, I've noticed a few things about it. With hardening, and the addition of being able to singularly use each individual feather as a projectile, your Quirk offers both offense _and_ defense—although your personality is more suited for defense. But I'm interested in how your psychokinesis works with the regenerative properties of your—"

It was deeply unsettling the way the conversation's topic focused so deeply on her, but the familiar sight of Midorya's finger tapping against his mouth as he muttered like a madman, quelled any uneasiness.

Midoriya's breath caught in his throat as he forced himself to reign in his curious ramblings, a million and one questions on the tip of his tongue. He looked at the girl next to him, decided to be bold as he playfully jutted his hip into hers, surprising her into looking at him once more.

His eyes were deeply earnest, blazing with an unwavering certainty. "Your Quirk is bound to help so many others, Kamiya-san. And one day you'll realize how much it'll help you, too." His tone reminded Asuka more of the hero fighting the sludge villain and less of the boy getting his notebook blown out the window. "I've always admired how fearless you can be, especially when it comes to protecting others. The way you stood up to Kacchan for me...it's something I'll never forget!"

Midoriya continued on, making Asuka envious of how easily he was able to properly communicate his emotions as his smile became impossibly wide, becoming easily swept away in his own speech. "Y-You never questioned my dreams, or made fun of me like everybody else." Midoriya took a moment to pause, his free hand scratching the side of his face as a light pink dusted his freckled cheeks. "When I saw you on the first day of class, I-I was glad to see you there. Y-You've come such a long way since middle school Kamiya-san—"

Midoriya continued on, unaware of the tears welling up in the eyes of the girl next to him. She forced herself to look forward, purposely avoiding his probing gaze. She blinked rapidly, trying to disperse the prickle of stubborn tears threatening to cloud her vision. The person she'd looked up to for the longest time — the boy who was so fiercely resilient, emotionally strong and ambitious — was _admiring _her.

It took a few moments for her to get herself under control, breathing deeply to force down the last bout of tears—

"I can't wait to work alongside you one day, Kamiya-san." Midoriya spoke, unknowingly bringing up a fresh new round of tears.

_Me too, Midoriya... _

"Kamiya," she corrected, turning to him. "Please feel free to call me Kamiya."

He nodded, his soft, curly green locks bobbing with the action. "O-Only if you call me Midoriya."

Asuka mimicked his earlier action, bumping her hip into his as she grinned. "Deal."

Looking ahead, turquoise hues squinted, noticing the train station. Asuka idly wondered if the blonde was on the train they were about to board, or if he'd taken the earlier one. She prayed it was the latter, because she wasn't so sure she could handle any more of him today.

"U-Um, Kamiya," Midoriya asked, reverting back to his nervous self. She turned to him, squinting at the more-nervous-than-usual look on his face, hating the way their easygoing atmosphere was dissipating. She watched as a faint pink tinge rose to his cheeks, an awkward chuckle escaping his lips as he dragged his fingers across the back of his neck, massaging at the stiff muscle beneath the skin. "When are you going to ask me about my Quirk?"

Her eyes softened. _I don't have to. _

She shrugged disinterestedly, hoping it put him at ease. "I'm not going to. When you want to talk about it, I'm all ears. But if you never want to talk about it, that's fine too."

It was Midoriya's turn to stubbornly blink away tears.

* * *

They talked. And talked. And _talked _for what felt like hours—all the way to the train, on the train, off the train and to Midoriya's front door. Asuka couldn't remember the last time she'd been so chatty, because the only other person she was this comfortable with was Davis. But she found talking to Midoriya easy. He was an excellent conversationalist, always ready to reciprocate her enthusiasm regarding certain topics. And his big, beautiful brain never ran out of things to discuss, because once they'd finished one topic, they'd seamlessly flip to the next.

As they stopped in front of the door to his apartment, Midoriya held his hand out, graciously accepting his bag.

"Are you sure you don't want me to walk you in?" she asked, a pinch of worry in her tone.

The verdant-haired boy waved her off. "You've already done so much, Kamiya! T-Thank you once again!"

Asuka rolled her eyes good-naturedly, reminding him for the umpteenth time. "It was no problem."

As Midoriya turned to leave, the ring beneath her uniform burned, just like it had the entire walk over—a question she'd been holding in threatening to escape the confines of her mouth.

_Come on, Asuka! Stop being a weenie and just ask him. _

"Um, Midoriya?"

He turned, one hand on his doorknob, an eyebrow raised in question.

"I, um—" her tongue tripped over itself as a prickly heat rolled down her back. "I just wanted to say—"

She couldn't do it. She couldn't ask him.

Not yet, at least.

"—that I'll see you tomorrow!" she blurted loudly, fingers strangling the fabric of her skirt as she inwardly winced.

But Midoriya — who thank _God _wasn't looking at her like the idiot she was — merely nodded, cheerfully returning the sentiment before they parted ways.

But as she walked down the street, fiddling with the ring around her neck, Asuka made a silent vow.

One day she would find out more about him.

* * *

**Next Chapter:**

Asuka snaps. Villains. And an unexpected visitor.

* * *

**IMPORTANT UPDATE: I've created a poll on my profile to gauge who Asuka's romantic interest should be, although I think I have an idea. So please make sure to visit it and vote!**

**For your viewing pleasure, Asuka's hero costume is almost an exact replica of the suit worn by Anne Hathaway as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, except Asuka wears combat boots because heels are impractical. And the symbol on her chest was inspired by Nightwing from Young Justice. Although the visor is the same exact one Hawks wear. (They might have the same costume designer :) **

**I'm such a sucker for symbolism, references and foreshadowing, which this chapter is definitely full of! It's important for me to mention that this story _will _have canon divergence and AU elements packed into it, because a re-telling of the same story is flat out boring. Any romance will be a slow-burn, so you've been warned. And while I'm going to try my best to keep everyone in character, they might get OOC! **

**I have one more trick up my sleeve, so the final reveal of Asuka's Quirk takes place next chapter!**

blahnlahbored: **Thank you! Setting the pace for Asuka's Quirk is really important to me, so for right now it's a learning process for her, just like it is for Midoriya. And making her dead-last was to sort of teach her that even though she scored high on the Entrance Exam, she still has a lot to learn. I was going to place her a little higher at 18, but decided against it, because although Mineta has a Quirk that's deemed "lame" he still used it during Aizawa's evaluation. **

**Signing off, **

**Sandafairy!**


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